CFI (Flooring Installation Certifications) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Chain of Custody

A chronological, signed record of every custodian, transfer, and storage location of an evidence item, used to show the item is unchanged from collection to presentation.

Contemporaneous Notes

Field notes recorded at the time of an observation. They carry greater evidentiary weight than later reconstructions and their originals should be preserved even after transcription.

Hierarchy of Controls

Ranking of hazard controls from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment.

Spoliation

The loss, destruction, or material alteration of evidence relevant to anticipated litigation, which can lead to adverse inference instructions, sanctions, or separate liability.

Best Evidence Rule

The requirement that the content of a writing, recording, or photograph be proved by the original unless an exception such as loss or unavailability applies.

Hash Value Integrity

A cryptographic digest computed over a forensic image. Matching hashes before and after analysis demonstrate the data was not altered.

Relevance and Authenticity

The two foundational gates for physical evidence: it must tend to prove a fact of consequence and be shown to be what its proponent claims.

Ohm's Law

The relationship V = I × R, where voltage equals current times resistance. It lets an investigator test whether reported electrical measurements are internally consistent.

Power Formula

Electrical power P = V × I, equivalently I²R or V²/R. In alternating current circuits, real power additionally includes the power factor.

Power Factor

The ratio of real power in watts to apparent power in volt-amperes. A purely resistive load has a power factor of 1.0.

Series Versus Parallel

In series, current is common and voltages add. In parallel, voltage is common and currents add, giving total resistance below the smallest branch.

Grounding Versus Bonding

Grounding connects an electrical system to earth reference; bonding equalizes potential between conductive parts. Missing either raises shock and fire risk.

Thermal Runaway

A self-accelerating overheating reaction in a battery cell triggered by overcharge, internal short, or damage, which vents flammable gas and can propagate to adjacent cells.

Fire Tetrahedron

The four elements sustaining combustion: fuel, oxygen, heat, and the uninhibited chemical chain reaction. Removing any one extinguishes the fire.

Class A Fires

Fires in ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, and cloth. Water and foam are effective, and cooling is the primary extinguishing mechanism.

Class B Fires

Fires involving flammable and combustible liquids and gases. Smothering agents such as foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide are used rather than a solid water stream.

Class C Fires

Fires in energized electrical equipment. Non-conductive agents such as carbon dioxide or dry chemical are required, and power should be secured first.

Class D Fires

Fires in combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, or titanium. They require a dry powder formulated for the specific metal; water can react violently.

Class K Fires

Fires involving cooking oils and fats. A wet chemical agent saponifies the burning fat; a standard Class B extinguisher is not an acceptable substitute.

PASS Technique

Extinguisher procedure: Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side. Alarm and evacuation precede any attempt.

Expert Admissibility Test

The federal standard requiring that an expert be qualified and that the testimony rest on sufficient facts, reliable methods, and reliable application of those methods.

Daubert Factors

Reliability indicia including testability, peer review and publication, known error rate, existence of standards and controls, and general acceptance in the relevant field.

Negligence Elements

A claim requires duty owed, breach of that duty, actual and proximate causation, and damages. Each element must be supported by the investigation record.

Lay Versus Expert Opinion

Lay witnesses may opine only on rationally based perceptions helpful to clear understanding. Expert opinions additionally require qualification, reliable method, and fit to the facts.

Indemnity Principle

The insured is restored to the pre-loss financial position and not improved by the claim. Betterment is deducted from repair or replacement settlements.

Insurable Interest

A financial stake in the property or life insured that must exist at the time of loss for the insured to recover under the policy.

Coinsurance Formula

Payment = (carried limit divided by required limit) times the loss, capped by the policy limit and reduced by the deductible, when the carried limit is below the required percentage.

Actual Cash Value

Replacement cost minus depreciation at the time of loss. It contrasts with replacement cost value, which pays new-for-old without depreciation.

Subrogation

The insurer's right, after paying a claim, to pursue the at-fault party in the insured's place. The insured must not prejudice that right by settling independently.

Yaw Critical Speed

The speed at which a vehicle begins to yaw, estimated as v = √(15 × f × r), with v in mph, f the friction coefficient, and r the radius in feet.

Skid Speed Formula

v = √(30 × d × f), with v in mph, d the skid distance in feet, and f the drag factor for the surface. Multiple surfaces require segment-by-segment calculation.

Metacentric Height

The distance between a vessel's center of gravity and its metacenter. A small or negative value indicates poor initial stability and elevated capsize risk.