Explore: Shoe Mix and Match

Impression evidence takes on the form or "impression" of something it has contacted, such as the bottom of a shoe or tire tread.  Shoe prints and tire tracks are impression evidence that are often left behind without the person even realizing it. Anytime you go anywhere, you leave impressions behind.  Some might be very obvious, such as the muddy footprints you made in the house when you did not remove your boots.  Some impressions might require more careful observation to be seen.

You know that footprints are a sign of human and animal activity.  Shoe prints can help us identify who was at the crime scene by allowing us to make inferences about

  • the type of shoe a person was wearing
  • the weight and height of the person
  • the direction and speed of travel
However, be aware that tracks are circumstantial evidence. A footprint may be linked to a crime, or it may have nothing to do with it. The evidence does not prove a person was guilty of a crime.

  Video

Watch the ADLC Digital Lesson on Impression Evidence

ADLC - Elementary Science: Impression Evidence

  Notebook: What kind of information can we get from shoeprints?

  1. Click here to download this activity. 
  2. Save to your Investigation Notebook. 

  Skill Builder

Click a link below to learn how to:

write a hypothesis


  Check Your Answers

In general, your observations should show that taller people have bigger feet (and shoes) and shorter people have smaller feet (and shoes).