MATH

and forensic science

What is Forensic Science?
It is applying scientific methods and processes
to solving crimes. The development of forensic
science has been used to uncover mysteries, solve
crimes, and convict or exonerate suspects of crime
for hundreds of years (What is forensics?, n.d.).

How does Forensic Science work?

Forensic science plays a vital role in the criminal
justice system by providing scientifically based
information through the analysis of physical
evidence.

During an investigation, evidence is collected at a

crime scene or from a person, analyzed in a crime
laboratory and then the results presented in court
(Forensic sciences, 2018).

Why is Math important in Forensic Science?

Forensic science makes use of math’s ability to detect
patterns. These may be patterns used in detecting
the likelihood of criminal behavior to
determining the specific pattern of genes that
matches with DNA samples from a crime scene.

User Loganj on weusemath.org states that “it is

impossible to analyze forensic evidence scientifically
without math.” The data that is collected helps
determine the facts of a crime through numbers,
allowing for a more objective analysis (2013).

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 What are some of the
ASPECTS OF MATH
involved?
MEASUREMENT
Taking precise measurements at a crime scene is crucial.
For instance, knowing the exact length of a shoe print could
later help rule out crime suspects whose shoes are the
wrong size (MacKay, 2017).

In order to properly perform scientific calculations,

Forensic Scientists take time to measure:
• Distance • Weight
• Force • Temperature
• Speed • Volume
• Height • Trace evidence
These measurements can:

• Aid in the • Measure skid

reconstruction marks in order to
of a car crash determine the
• Determine the cause of a crash
speed of a
bullet (Ladley, 2016)

PROBABILITY
This measures the likelihood of the occurrence of an event. It’s
used in Forensic Science to determine the likelihood that a
suspect’s DNA and DNA from a sample found from the crime
scene belong to the same person. The probability of two
people having the same 13 pairs of genes is 1 in 400 trillion
(Colmez & Schneps, 2013).

Research has shown that some types of crimes happen in the

same places creating crime hotspots. Crime and Forensic
Scientists have shown that crime clusters in time and space.
This helps police officials reduce the number of incidents through
determining the proper intervention by observing the routines
of offenders and victims (Sanchez et. al, 2016).

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 What are some of the
ASPECTS OF MATH
involved?
TRIGONOMETRY illustration by Ben Juers

One application of the study and

measurement of triangles is in the analysis of
blood splatter. It studies how blood from a
human injury splatters on a wall or other
surface (MacKay, 2017).

They draw lines from the victim’s body to the

blood spatter, then use angles and distances
to calculate the third point of the triangle
which could tell us:
• the person who struck the victim
• where the attacker was standing
• how hard he must have hit the victim
• what weapon was used
• how tall the shooter was

USE OF THE PYTHAGOREAN

THEOREM
The Pythagorean theorem, which
shows the relationship of the three
sides of a right triangle, can aid in
calculating for the trajectory of a
bullet (Ladley, 2016).

RATES OF CHANGE
Exponential functions allow us to determine the amount
of material present as time changes. These govern
the rates of heating or cooling or of the metabolising of
alcohol and drugs.

The time elapsed since death may be calculated using Newton’s law
of cooling which is based on the fact that after death, a body cools until
it reaches the environmental temperature. The exponential decay of
temperature difference detects the time elapsed (Lynch, 2015).

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 References
Colmez, C. & Schneps, L. (May 25, 2013). Mathematics in forensic science. Retrieved from https://
www.huffingtonpost.com/leila-schneps/forensic-science-math_b_2948734.html.

Forensic sciences by National Institute of Justice. (April 26, 2018). Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/
topics/forensics/pages/welcome.aspx.

Ladley, J. (June 21, 2016). Application of mathematics in forensic science. Retrieved from https://
prezi.com/rmivpqwjtffn/application-of-mathematics-in-forensic-science/.

Loganj. (May 28, 2013). Forensic analyst. Retrieved from http://weusemath.org/?career=forensic-

analyst.

Lynch, P. (November 19, 2015). A forensic formula for solving crimes. Retrieved from https://
www.irishtimes.com/news/science/a-forensic-formula-for-solving-crimes-1.2425640.

MacKay, J. (June 5, 2017). What math is involved in forensic science?. Retrieved from https://
legalbeagle.com/5516045-math-involved-forensic-science.html.

Sanchez, H. C., Esparza, D. P., Curiel, R. P., & Zolghadriha, S. (November 24, 2016). Catching criminals
with maths. Retrieved from http://chalkdustmagazine.com/blog/mathematics-and-crime-
science/.

Taranovich, S. (October 19, 2013). Math in forensics: Sherlock Holmes on steroids. Retrieved from
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/math-is/4422969/Math-in-forensics--Sherlock-
Holmes-on-steroids.

What is forensics?. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.crimesceneinvestigatoredu.org/what-is-

forensic-science/.

Images
Figure showing car crash reconstruction. Adapted from “A study of bicyclist kinematics and injuries
based on reconstruction of passenger car–bicycle accident in China,” by J. Nie, and J. Yang,
2014, Accident Analysis & Prevention, 71, pp. 50-59. Copyright 2014 by Elsevier Ltd.

Freeman, S. & Gerbis, N. (April 24, 2008). Adapted from How bloodstain pattern analysis works.
Retrieved from https://science.howstuffworks.com/bloodstain-pattern-analysis3.htm.
Copyright 2008, How Stuff Works.

Icons made by Adib Sulthon from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by Flat Icons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by Maxim Basinski from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by smalllikeart from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by Smashicons from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Icons made by srip from www.flaticon.com is licensed by CC 3.0 BY

Johns, H. (2016). Adapted from Forensics: Ballistics. Retrieved from https://slideplayer.com/slide/

7045498/.

Juers, B. (July 19, 2018). Adapted from “Blood Splatter Will Tell” by Blake Morris. Retrieved from http://
nautil.us/issue/62/systems/blood-spatter-will-tell. Copyright 2019, Nautilus.
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