NUMERICAL CORRELATION AND EVALUATION IN THE COMPARISON OF EVIDENTIARY MATERIALS

• NCJ Number: 11712
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1973) Pages: 110-117
• Author(s): D D LAWSON; E P FRAMAN
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc for Testing and Materials
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED AT 24TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, ATLANTA, 2 MARCH 1972

Annotation

THE USE OF THE CHI-SQUARE STATISTICAL TECHNIQUE IN HANDLING EVIDENTIARY DATA GATHERED DURING CRIMINALISTICS INVESTIGATIONS.

Abstract

IN THIS SPECIFIC CASE, THE APPLICATION OF THE PHENOMENA OF THERMOLUMINESCENCE TO CRIMINALISTICS, EACH PIECE OF EVIDENCE PROVIDED, AFTER PROCESSING, A CONTINUOUS CURVE. IN COMPARING THE CURVE OF AN UNKNOWN WITH THAT OF AN EXEMPLAR, A NEED WAS ESTABLISHED FOR A QUANTITATIVE EXPRESSION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE TWO CURVES MATCHED. THE CHI-SQUARE STATISTICAL PROCEDURE WAS APPLIED AND WAS FOUND TO BE FULLY SATISFACTORY IN RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THE SAME TECHNIQUE, WITHOUT MODIFICATIONS, WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE APPLICABLE TO THE ANALYSIS OF EMISSION SPECTROGRAPHY DATA, NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS, GRADIENT DENSITY MEASUREMENTS, AND ANY OTHER CRIMINALISTIC TECHNIQUE WHERE SETS OF NUMERICAL DATA ARE DETERMINED. THE MAIN ATTRIBUTE OF THIS DEVELOPED TECHNIQUE IS THAT IT ALLOWS THE CRIMINALIST TO MAKE JUDGEMENTS ON THE QUALITY OF THE EVIDENTIARY DETERMINATIONS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)