Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________
Calculating Time of Death using Algor Mortis- Formative
Background
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“Normal” body temperature is 98.4 degrees F.
For the first 12 hours the body loses about 1.5 degrees F per hour.
After the first 12 hours the body loses about 0.7 degrees F per hour.
Use the formulas:
o Temp Loss = (constant loss rate) (# of hours)
o Time since death = (98.4 – corpse temperature)/1.5
Problems:
1. What is the temperature loss for someone who has been dead for 12 hours? Show all work and label
answer.
2. If a corpse has an internal temperature of 93.7 degrees F, how long has the person been dead?
3. If a corpse has an internal temperature of 92.4 degrees F, how long has the person been dead?
4. If the temperature of a dead body is 90 degrees F (normal is 98.4 F), how many hours AND minutes
have they been dead? Show all work and label answer.
HOURS:
MINUTES:
5. For each of the following state if the body has been dead for more or less than 12 hours based on the
number of degrees lost:
A. 7.9 degrees lost
B. 4.4 degrees lost
C. 11.7 degrees lost
D. 17.2 degrees lost
E. 0.6 degrees lost
6. What if someone was dead for more than 12 hours? You will need to calculate how many hours
beyond the 12 hours that someone died and add it to the 12 hours.
A dead body was found and the internal temperature was found to be 74 degrees F.
A. How many degrees total were lost from the time of death until the body was found? Show all
work and label answer.
B. How do you know the person has been dead for more than 12 hours??
C. How long has the person been dead? Show all work and label answer. Use Degrees F.
7. A dead body was found @ 10pm. The internal boy temperature was 68 OF. What was the time of
death?
8. List 3 things that could make calculating time of death using algor mortis inaccurate?