Concept explainers
Lead bullets as forensic evidence. Chance (Summer 20(K) published an article on the use of lead bullets as forensic evidence in a federal criminal case. Typically, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will use a laboratory method to match the load in a bullet found at the crime scene with unexpended lead cartridges found in possession of the suspect. The value of this evidence depends on the chance of a false positive (i.e.. the probability that the FBI finds a match given that the lead at the crime scene and the lead in possession of the suspect are actually from two different “melts,' or sources). To estimate the false-positive rate, the FBI collected 1.837 bullets that they were confident all came from different melts. The FBI then examined every possible pair of bullets and counted the number of matches using its established criteria. According to Chance, the FBI found 693 matches. Use this information to compute the chance of a false positive. Is this probability small enough for you to have confidence in the FBI’s forensic evidence?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 3 Solutions
Statistics for Business and Economics (13th Edition)
- What term is used to express the likelihood of an event occurring? Are there restrictions on its values? If so, what are they? If not, explain.arrow_forwardIn Example 8, what is the probability that an employee chosen at random has 30 or more years of service?arrow_forwardIn Example 5, what is the probability that an institution selected at random is in the Pacific region?arrow_forward
- Holt Mcdougal Larson Pre-algebra: Student Edition...AlgebraISBN:9780547587776Author:HOLT MCDOUGALPublisher:HOLT MCDOUGAL