Post created by: Jael
I love watching Forensic Files, and as I was binging the series, as normal, I noticed some physics in most episodes.
Many of Forensic Files episodes involve murder via stabbing and gunshots. Forensic analysts discovered a way to determine whether a person was murdered or committed suicide by measuring each blood spatter. When someone is shot their blood spatters in a certain direction due to the bullet's distance and force. This helps forensic analysts because it is common for a murder scene to appear as a suicide but a closer look can reveal otherwise. They are able to determine at what angle, force, and speed someone's blood travels after they get shot.
This technique reminded me of physics because they have to use specific equations that involve the force of how someone is hit and by attaining all the necessary variables, investigators are able to determine important information of a crime.
Making the connection of my favorite show and physics, I was intrigued on how exactly the did this, so I did some research. This simplified video found in the article, "The Physics Behind the Analysis of Blood Splatter in Crime Scenes" gives a brief explanation of how this forensic analysis is done.
Investigators choose a specific blood splatter and draw a line along its path. They do this for multiple splatters and they calculate the angle of the intersections, called the impact angels. They then find the area of convergence and once they gather all their needed information they begin a stringing process. Using this stringing process allows investigators to make a 3D estimate of where the victim was placed when they were hit.
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