Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom

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Synopsis
In the wrong hands, math can be deadly. Even the simplest numbers can become powerful forces when manipulated by journalists, politicians or other public figures, but in the case of the law your libertyOCoand your lifeOCocan depend on the right calculation. "Math on Trial" tells the story of ten trials in which mathematical arguments were usedOCoand disastrously misusedOCoas evidence. Despite years of math classes, most people (and most jurors) fail to detect even simple mathematical sophistry, resulting in such horrors as a medical expertOCOs faulty calculation of probabilities providing the key evidence for a British motherOCOs conviction for the murder of her two babies. The conviction was later overturned, but three years in prison took its tollOCoSally Clark died of acute alcohol intoxication in March of 2007. Mathematicians Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez use a wide range of examples, from a mid-19th-century dispute over wills that became a signal case in the forensic use of mathematics, to the conviction and subsequent exoneration of Amanda Knox, to show how the improper application of mathematical concepts can mean the difference between walking free and life in prison. The cases discussed include: -The Case of Amanda Knox (How a judgeOCOs denial of a second DNA test may have destroyed a chance to reveal the truth about Meredith KercherOCOs murder)-The Case of Joe Sneed (How a fabricated probability framed a son for his parentsOCO grisly killing)-The Case of Sally Clark (How multiplying non-independent probabilities landed an innocent mother in jail for the murder of her children)-The Case of Janet Collins (How unjustified estimates combined with a miscalculated probability convicted an innocent couple of violent robbery) A colorful narrative of mathematical abuse featuring such characters as Charles Ponzi, Alfred Dreyfus, Hetty Green, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, "Math on Trial" shows that legal expertise isnOCOt everything when it comes to proving a man innocent.
Copyright:
2013

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
272 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780465037940
Related ISBNs:
9780465032921
Publisher:
Basic Books
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Leila Schneps, Coralie Colmez
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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