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Taking physics further

Physics in forensics

Tony Hargreaves describes the work of forensic scientists following a fatal shooting, starting with preservation of the crime scene. Read about the evidence that will be left at the scene and how this can be analysed using, for example, microscopy and ballistics — the study of projectile motion

A bullet hole labelled at a crime scene
Philippe Psaila/SPL

The terms in bold link to topics in the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CCEA A-level specifications, as well as the IB, Pre-U and SQA exam specifications.

Forensic scientists use optical microscopy to examine evidence. The size of particles seen is limited by the resolution of the instrument. Electron microscopes are used to see finer detail due to the smaller de Broglie wavelength of the electron, while X-rays are used in analysis.

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Taking physics further

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