A place to ask questions and add to probative and informative discussions associated with the various aspects of the field of fire investigation. -- FORUM RULES---BE CIVIL AND NO NAME CALLING, NO BELITTLING, NO BERATING, NO DENIGRATING others. Postings in violation of these rules can be removed or editted to remove the offending remarks at the discretion of the moderators and/or site administrator.
Re: Back to basics – testing your hypothesis.
Posted by:
Gerald Hurst (IP Logged)
Date: January 21, 2007 09:30PM
Jim, some hypotheses are provable, others are not.
Hypotheses relating to the causes of fires are often not provable. Thus, in order to make a reasonable case for for a specific cause, it becomes necessary to eliminate all reasonably possible alternatitve hypotheses. Sometimes this can be done, sometimes not.
It is the often deliberate or negligent failure to eliminate viable alternative causes which lies at the core of bogus state, federal and civil arson cases.