ABSTRACT
Bloodstain pattern analysis with a computer combines the well-known laws of projectile motion, the mathematics of three-dimensional geometry, and a computer to study bloodstain patterns found at the scene of violent crimes. This chapter explores how many separate blows or bloodletting events took place, and where these events occurred, i.e., was the victim standing or lying on the floor. It begins with a brief description of the string method. The chapter discusses how the traditional "string method" of bloodstain pattern analysis can be adapted to a desktop or a laptop computer with excellent results. It discusses the method for computing the virtual string direction for an individual bloodstain. The chapter discusses some of the physical properties of moving blood droplets and their flight paths. It demonstrates the empirical relationship between the shape of a bloodstain and the value of the impact angle.
