1. Scientific Reasoning
Forensic Science

2. The Cycle of Science
Scientific reasoning must use both inductive and deductive reasoning

3. The Cycle of Science (continued)
Inductive reasoning – moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories
Begins with specific observations and measurements
Then formulate a hypothesis that can be explored
Finally develop some general conclusions or theories

4. The Cycle of Science (continued)
A few episodes of a particular sitcom make you laugh
You conclude that the sitcom is very funny.

5. The Cycle of Science (continued)
Deductive reasoning – works from general to specific
Begin with creating a theory about a topic of interest
Narrow that down into a more specific hypothesis that we can test
Narrow that down even further when we collect observations to address the hypothesis
Test the hypothesis with specific data

6. The Cycle of Science (continued)
An example of a deductive argument:
All men are mortal.
Kass is a man.
Therefore, Kass is mortal.
The first premise states that all objects classified as "men" have the attribute "mortal".
The second premise states that "Kass" is classified as a "man" – a member of the set "men".
The conclusion then states that "Kass" must be "mortal" because he inherits this attribute from his classification as a "man".

7. Observation Observations are recorded facts about what you see
There are two types of observations
Quantitative – results in a numerical form, with a unit
Qualitative – results in a descriptive form