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Jeff Howard
Professor Diaz
Math 1030
29 November 2015
Quantitative Reasoning in the Field of Law
Quantitative reasoning and mathematics play a crucial role when trying to decipher fact
from fiction. This becomes even more crucial when dealing with issues where facts need to be
clearly stated or proven. One such example of this, is using quantitative reasoning to try and
make sense of real world scenarios involving crimes or accidents. Mathematical experts can use
mathematics to determine how a crime happened by examining skid marks from tires or blood
splatter patterns. Being a legal studies undergraduate, it is important to recognize how
mathematics will apply in the career field of the law, particularly in criminal justice.
It may seem surprising to most, but math is used by criminal justice professionals every
day. Calculating a vehicles speed at the time of an accident can be achieved by the relation of
skid marks to the point of impact. Law enforcement uses these mathematical tools to help them
recreate the scene to better understand how the accident occurred, and whether or not criminal
charges should be filed. Ballistic experts use math to calculate bullet trajectory and distance
from target. Drug enforcement officers use math when weighing out confiscated drugs. All of
these mathematical actions play a very important part in the process of criminal justice, as a
persons guilt or innocence is depending on clear, accurate facts, that were achieved through
logical reasoning.
The first thing to understand about reconstructing an accident using skid marks, is that
the calculation will give you the minimum vehicle speed and not always the exact speed. The

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reason why, is because there are so many variables involved such as weather conditions, vehicle
weight, vehicle braking ability, and the drag factor of the tires vs the terrain the car was driving
on. The formula used for determining the speed of a vehicle (in mph) at the moment skidding
begins is: Vi2 = Ve2 + 30fd. Vi = initial velocity, Ve = ending velocity, f = drag factor, d = skid
distance. As an example, lets say that investigators are looking at a possible manslaughter case
involving a drunk driver. They measure that the vehicle left a 50ft skid mark before hitting the
victims vehicle and coming to a complete stop (0 mph). Upon testing the pavement, they
determine it has a drag factor of 0.56. They would then plug this information into the formula as
follows: Vi2= 02+ 30(.56)(50) which is Vi2 = 840. By then taking the square root of 840, it can be
determined that the vehicle was traveling at least 28.98 mph. This formula provides both
prosecution and defense attorneys with crucial info in regards to their clients innocence and to
which party should be held liable for any damages incurred.
Not only does quantitative reasoning assist in recreating crimes in the past, it also plays
an important part of preventing crimes in the future. Professionals who have the ability to apply
statistical calculations to real world scenarios, have an increased probability of predicting when,
and where criminal activity may take place. By combining these statistics with actual physical
evidence, cases are more often than not expedited and brought to a more satisfying close.
Attorneys need to make their arguments as logical as possible in order to make a strong
case. Very few people would argue that 2 + 2 doesnt equal 4. How can someone apply
mathematical reasoning like this to real world scenarios? Aristotle came up with the answer to
that when he created the syllogism. A syllogism is a kind of logical argument that applies
deductive reasoning to arrive at a conclusion based on two or more propositions that are asserted
or assumed to be true. With the syllogism, facts can be laid out in the same format as 2 + 2 = 4,

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creating solid arguments. The idea is that premise A + premise B = conclusion. For example,
lets say that premise A states that Socrates was a man and premise B states that all men are
mortal. By combining premise A and premise B, you get the conclusion that Socrates was
mortal. Using this deductive reasoning creates a strong and logical argument.
With the examples shown in this report, it is easy to see that mathematics play a very
large role in the field of law. Since the syllogism is the most logical approach to an argument, it
could even be said that math is the foundation for legal arguments. Whether it is a drug
enforcement officer out in the field using mathematics to weigh or convert confiscated drugs, or
an attorney in an office using mathematical formulas to create an invoice for billable hours,
mathematics is used every single day in the practice or enforcement of the law.

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Works cited
http://www.vmar.net/email_jun11.htm