What is the technique called for tracing data back to a source?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nerdydude101
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a technique for tracing data back to its source, as depicted in an episode of the series Numb3rs. The user is curious about the mathematical analysis used to track droplets of water to their origin, which was also suggested to be applicable in criminal investigations. They reference a potential real-world application developed by a mathematician police officer in Canada. Additional resources are shared, including links to episode summaries and mathematical concepts related to the show. The feasibility of such tracing methods in real-life scenarios is affirmed, indicating that it has been utilized in law enforcement contexts.
Nerdydude101
Messages
54
Reaction score
0
I I was watching something the other day and using math they were able to trace droplets of water back to an origin point (they used that I then find the origin of a rapist but I don't know about that being realistically possible) but they didn't say what it was called that they were doing, usually they do and I look it up to learn more and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what this analysis was called, tracing data back to a source. Thanks!
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Would it actually be possible to do what he did and track a criminal back to an origin point like that?
 
Yes, I think its possible and yes I think it was actually used by a mathematician police officer in Canada a few years earlier, developed into an application for poilce depts and was the basis for the episode.

This may answer your question better:

http://www.math.cornell.edu/~numb3rs/luthy/num101.html

and for other episodes:

http://www.math.cornell.edu/~numb3rs/lipa/Episodes/

Lastly, some more commentary of some episodes and how realistic the math was:

http://homepage.smc.edu/nestler_andrew/numb3rs.htm
 
Thread 'Video on imaginary numbers and some queries'
Hi, I was watching the following video. I found some points confusing. Could you please help me to understand the gaps? Thanks, in advance! Question 1: Around 4:22, the video says the following. So for those mathematicians, negative numbers didn't exist. You could subtract, that is find the difference between two positive quantities, but you couldn't have a negative answer or negative coefficients. Mathematicians were so averse to negative numbers that there was no single quadratic...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Thread 'Unit Circle Double Angle Derivations'
Here I made a terrible mistake of assuming this to be an equilateral triangle and set 2sinx=1 => x=pi/6. Although this did derive the double angle formulas it also led into a terrible mess trying to find all the combinations of sides. I must have been tired and just assumed 6x=180 and 2sinx=1. By that time, I was so mindset that I nearly scolded a person for even saying 90-x. I wonder if this is a case of biased observation that seeks to dis credit me like Jesus of Nazareth since in reality...

Similar threads

Back
Top