Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom - 2 views
-
Garrett Eastman on 19 Mar 13"In Math on Trial, mathematicians Leila Schneps and Coralie Colmez tell the story of ten criminal trials in which mathematical arguments were used-and disastrously misused-as evidence. Using a wide range of examples, from the Dreyfus Affair to the Amanda Knox murder trial, they show how the improper application of mathematical concepts can mean the difference between walking free and life in prison. A colorful narrative of mathematical abuse featuring such characters as Charles Ponzi, Alfred Dreyfus, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Math on Trial shows that legal expertise isn't always enough to prove a person innocent."