ESSENTIAL MATHEMATICS AND STATISTI

Informationen zum Autor Craig Adam has over twenty years experience in teaching mathematics within the context of science at degree level. Initially this was within the physics discipline, but more recently he has developed and taught courses in mathematics and statistics for students in forensic science. As head of natural sciences at Staffordshire University in 1998, he led the initial development of forensic science degrees at that institution. Once at Keele University he worked within physics before committing himself principally to forensic science from 2004. His current research interests are focused on the use of chemometrics in the interpretation and evaluation of data from the analysis of forensic materials, particularly those acquired from spectroscopy. His teaching expertise areas within forensic science, apart from mathematics and statistics, include blood dynamics and pattern analysis, enhancement of marks and impressions, all aspects of document analysis, trace evidence analysis and evidence evaluation. Klappentext 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. Zusammenfassung * Offers a unique mix of mathematics and statistics topics,specifically tailored to a forensic science undergraduatedegree. * All topics illustrated with examples from the forensic sciencediscipline. * Written in an accessible, student-friendly way to engageinterest and enhance learning and confidence. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface. 1 Getting the basics right. Introduction: Why forensic science is a quantitative science. 1.1 Numbers, their representation and meaning. Self-assessment exercises and problems. 1.2 Units of measurement and their conversion. Self-assessment problems. 1.3 Uncertainties in measurement and how to deal with them. Self-assessment problems. 1.4 Basic chemical calculations. Self-assessment exercises and problems. Chapter summary. 2 Functions, formulae and equations. Introduction: Understanding and using functions, formulae and equations. 2.1 Algebraic manipulation of equations. Self-assess...

List of contents

Preface.
 
1 Getting the basics right.
 
Introduction: Why forensic science is a quantitative science.
 
1.1 Numbers, their representation and meaning.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
1.2 Units of measurement and their conversion.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
1.3 Uncertainties in measurement and how to deal with them.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
1.4 Basic chemical calculations.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
Chapter summary.
 
2 Functions, formulae and equations.
 
Introduction: Understanding and using functions, formulae and equations.
 
2.1 Algebraic manipulation of equations.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
2.2 Applications involving the manipulation of formulae.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
2.3 Polynomial functions.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
2.4 The solution of linear simultaneous equations.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
2.5 Quadratic functions.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
2.6 Powers and indices.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
Chapter summary.
 
3 The exponential and logarithmic functions and their applications.
 
Introduction: Two special functions in forensic science.
 
3.1 Origin and definition of the exponential function.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
3.2 Origin and definition of the logarithmic function.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
3.3 Application: the pH scale.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
3.4 The "decaying" exponential.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
3.5 Application: post-mortem body cooling.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
3.6 Application: forensic pharmacokinetics.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
Chapter summary.
 
4 Trigonometric methods in forensic science.
 
Introduction: Why trigonometry is needed in forensic science.
 
4.1 Pythagoras's theorem.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
4.2 The trigonometric functions.
 
Self-assessment exercises and problems.
 
4.3 Trigonometric rules.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
4.4 Application: heights and distances.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
4.5 Application: ricochet analysis.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
4.6 Application: aspects of ballistics.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
4.7 Suicide, accident or murder?
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
4.8 Application: bloodstain shape.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
4.9 Bloodstain pattern analysis.
 
Self-assessment problems.
 
Chapter summary.
 
5 Graphs - their construction and interpretation.
 
Introduction: Why graphs are important in forensic science.
 
5.1 Representing data using graphs.
 
5.2 Linearizing equations.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
5.3 Linear regression.
 
Self-assessment exercises.
 
5.4 Application: shotgun pellet patterns in firearms incidents.
 
Self-assessment problem.
 
5.5 Application: bloodstain formation.
 
Self-assessment problem.
 
5.6 Application: the persistence of hair, fibres and flints on clothing.
 
Self-assessment problem.
 
5.7 Application: determining the time since death by fly egg hatching.
 
5.8 Application: determining age from bone or tooth material
 
Self-assessment problem.
 
5.9 Application: kinetics of

Report

"The book s main selling point is its pedagogical approach to makethe contents relevant to the intended audience by usingsubject-specific examples. This is successful in the main, withexamples originating from a wide variety of areas in forensicscience, so that neither the forensic biologist nor the forensicchemist or physicist need to feel neglected. It is even morecommendable that Craig Adams manages to find a forensic context forthe development of essential skills, such as the computation ofconcentrations from spectrophotometric measurements and theplotting of standard curves for HPLC data." ( Reviews ,December 2010)

Product details

• Authors: Adam, Craig Adam, Adam Craig
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.04.2010
• EAN: 9780470742532
• ISBN: 978-0-470-74253-2
• No. of pages: 366
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Non-clinical medicine; Statistik, Chemie, Mathematik, Statistics, chemistry, Forensische wissenschaft, Angewandte Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung u. Statistik, Applied Probability & Statistics, Analytische Chemie / Forensik, Forensics