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Chapter 2

Evidence can be categorized as physical (such as a bloodstain, drugs, or a knife), testimonial (such as eyewitnesses), or opinion (such as forensic reports and testimony) to name a few descriptors.  Chapter 2 delves into evidence – what it is, how it makes its way into the judicial system, how it can link persons to places and events, and how it is interpreted in the general sense. This means we need to learn about categorizes of evidence and how it is admitted (or not) into legal proceedings. We’ll introduce basic concepts of probability and statistics that are used to evaluate the importance and impact of forensic evidence.   

2.1 Recognize basic categories of evidence 

2.2 Describe different admissibility standards and their critical differences 

2.3 Understand basic concepts of statistics and probability as utilized in forensic analysis and interpretation 

2.4 Describe the concept of successive classification, Q vs. K comparisons, and their possible outcomes 

Question 1

Drag the definition (right) next to the correct definition.

%RSD
Frequency database
Mean
Probability density function
Gaussian (normal) distribution
Standard deviation
A data collection which is spread around a central value described by a bell-shaped curve
A collection of samples that describe how often a result occurs within the collection
The relative standard deviation
The average value of a data set
The average deviation of each data point from the mean
A fitted curve that characterizes the probability of a given value occurring within a specified range of values.