NATS 1575 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Jigsaw Puzzle, Forensic Science, Nylon

• School: York University
• Department: Natural Science
• Course: NATS 1575
• Professor: Rajeshwari Iyer

Document Summary

It would be impossible to list all the objects that could conceivably be of importance to a crime. Although you cannot rely on a list of categories, it is useful to discuss some of the most common types of physical evidence. The purpose of recognizing physical evidence is so that it can be collected and analyzed. It is difficult to ascertain the weight a given piece of evidence will have in a case, as ultimately a jury will decide the weight. The examination of physical evidence by a forensic scientist is usually undertaken for identification or comparison purposes. Identification has, as its purpose, the determination of the physical or chemical identity of a substance with as near absolute certainty as existing analytical techniques will permit. A comparison analysis subjects a suspect specimen and a standard/reference specimen to the same tests and examinations for the ultimate purpose of determining whether or not they have a common origin.