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Enchanted Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Would

Two forensics are talking about a dead girl's corpse, which is decomposed badly.
"Can you pinpoint how long it would take for her to reach this level of decomp?"

My understanding is that this is a hypothetic condition. But i am not convinced myself.

thank you!

Ench.
  

Top answer

Yes, the exercise is clearly hypothetical, since so many of the variables are unknown, such as whether or not she died at the present scene. (I'm not sure if you're using the expression "hypothectical condition " in the logical sense, or if so, exactly how it would apply. I'd probably call it "a hypothetical determination," since the exercise is to "determine" the approximate time of death, using assumptions, and standard calculations for assumed conditions of temperature, humidity, possible exposure to the weather and indiginous wildlife, etc.

— Avangi

  • Yes, the exercise is clearly hypothetical, since so many of the variables are unknown, such as whether or not she died at the present scene.
  • (I'm not sure if you're using the expression "hypothectical condition " in the logical sense, or if so, exactly how it would apply.
  • I'd probably call it "a hypothetical determination," since the exercise is to "determine" the approximate time of death, using assumptions, and standard calculations for assumed conditions of temperature, humidity, possible exposure to the weather and indiginous wildlife, etc.
  • - A.
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2 Answers
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Yes, the exercise is clearly hypothetical, since so many of the variables are unknown, such as whether or not she died at the present scene.

(I'm not sure if you're using the expression "hypothectical condition" in the logical sense, or if so, exactly how it would apply. I'd probably call it "a hypothetical determination," since the exercise is to "determine" the approximate time
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Strictly speaking, I think it should be
Can you ... how long it would have taken for ... because that level of decomposition has already been reached.

but it's hypothetical in either case -- because if we could measure such a thing is assumed; that's the hypothesis.
It assumes a hypothesis; it assumes a supposition. But it's not a hypothesis in itself.
CJ
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