Deductive Reasoning

Deductive Reasoning

inductive reasoning: Uses patterns to arrive at a conclusion

● Ex. Michele is typically in the hallways during period 5

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● Conclusion: If we are in period 5, Michelle is in the hallway

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Deductive reasoning: Uses facts, rules, definitions, or properties to arrive at a conclusion

• Ex. School policy states that all entering freshmen must take a mathematics placement test. You are an entering freshman

● Conclusion: You will have to take a mathematics placement test.

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What is Forensic Science

● Forensic science: is the study and application of science to matters of law

○ Criminalistics: is another name for forensic science

• Forensic scientists examine the associations among people, places, things, and events involved in crimes.

What does a forensic scientist do?

• A forensic scientist’s main job is to study the different types of evidence that is brought into the lab and determine where it came from
• Often forensic scientists are required to be expert witnesses during trials to testify that certain bits of evidence actually link a person to a crime

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Categories of Death

● Death can be classified into 5 different categories:

○ Natural death

○ Homicide

○ Suicide

○ Accidental

○ Undetermined

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• Field One: Forensic Pathology
• Through Forensic Pathology, an autopsy is performed to determine cause of death
• The state of decomposer and the location of blood pooling is used to determine time of death
• Rigor Mortis: Immediately following death, muscles relax and then become rigid, shortening the muscles
• Livor Mortis: When the human heart stops pumping, blood begins to pool in parts of the body closest to the ground due to gravity
• Skin will appear dark blue or purple in these areas
• Algor Mortis: Body temperature cools after death until it reaches room temperature, enabling scientists to establish general time of death

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• Field Two: Forensic Anthropology
• Anthropology: Is the study of physical and behavioral human characteristics
• Forensic Anthropology: Involves the identification and examination of skeletal remains to determine whether or not remains are human
• If the remains prove to be human, they can determine:

○ Ethnicity

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• Field Three: Forensic Entomology

● Forensic Entomology is the study of insects and their development stages

○ This can help determine time of death by knowing the developmental stages of insects present

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Field Four: Forensic Psychiatry

● Forensic Psychiatry is the study of human behavior and legal proceedings

○ Evaluate competency

○ Evaluate behavioral disorders to determine the psychological profile of the suspect

Field Five: Forensic Odontology

● A Forensic Odontologist can match bite marks to a suspect’s teeth, or match a victim to his dental x-rays, resulting in identification of an unknown individual