Essential Mathematics and Statistics for Forensic Science

Author： Craig Adam  

Publisher： John Wiley & Sons Inc‎

Publication year： 2010

E-ISBN: 9780470710357

P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780470742532

P-ISBN(Hardback):  9780470742525

Subject： O212 Statistics

Language： ENG

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Description

This text is an accessible, student-friendly introduction to the wide range of mathematical and statistical tools needed by the forensic scientist in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of experimental measurements.

From a basis of high school mathematics, the book develops essential quantitative analysis techniques within the context of a broad range of forensic applications. This clearly structured text focuses on developing core mathematical skills together with an understanding of the calculations associated with the analysis of experimental work, including an emphasis on the use of graphs and the evaluation of uncertainties. Through a broad study of probability and statistics, the reader is led ultimately to the use of Bayesian approaches to the evaluation of evidence within the court. In every section, forensic applications such as ballistics trajectories, post-mortem cooling, aspects of forensic pharmacokinetics, the matching of glass evidence, the formation of bloodstains and the interpretation of DNA profiles are discussed and examples of calculations are worked through. In every chapter there are numerous self-assessment problems to aid student learning.

Its broad scope and forensically focused coverage make this book an essential text for students embarking on any degree course in forensic science or forensic analysis, as well as an invaluable reference for post-graduate students and forensic professionals.

Key features:

  • Offers a unique mix of mathematics and statistics topics, specifically tailored to a forensic science undergraduate degree.
  • All topics illustrated with examples from the forensic science discipline.
  • Written in an accessible, student-friendly way to engage interest and enhance learning and confidence.
  • Assumes only a basic high-school level prior mathematical knowledge.

Chapter

Contents

Preface

1 Getting the basics right

2 Functions, formulae and equations

3 The exponential and logarithmic functions and their applications

4 Trigonometric methods in forensic science

5 Graphs – their construction and interpretation

6 The statistical analysis of data

7 Probability in forensic science

8 Probability and infrequent events

9 Statistics in the evaluation of experimental data: comparison and confidence

10 Statistics in the evaluation of experimental data: computation and calibration

11 Statistics and the signi.cance of evidence

References

Bibliography

Answers to self-assessment exercises and problems

Appendix I: The definitions of non-SI units and their relationship to the equivalent SI units

Appendix II: Constructing graphs using Microsoft Excel

Appendix III: Using Microsoft Excel for statistics calculations

Appendix IV: Cumulative z -probability table for the standard normal distribution

Appendix V: Student’s t -test: tables of critical values for the t -statistic

Appendix VI: Chi squared χ2 test: table of critical values

Appendix VII: Some values of Qcrit for Dixon’s Q test Some values for Gcrit for Grubbs’ two-tailed test

Index

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