Editing Algor mortis (section)

== Applicability ==
[[File:Glaister equation.svg|thumb|An XY plot of the Glaister equation with values from 37&nbsp;°C to 20&nbsp;°C (a commonly used ambient temperature)]]
A measured rectal temperature can give some indication of the time of death. Although the [[heat conduction]] which leads to body cooling follows an [[exponential decay]] curve, it can be approximated as a linear process: 2&nbsp;°C during the first hour and 1&nbsp;°C per hour until the body nears ambient temperature.

The '''Glaister equation'''<ref>[http://www.fmap.archives.gla.ac.uk/DC403/DC403_page.htm Forensic Medicine Archives Project] University of Glasgow {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040605013312/http://www.fmap.archives.gla.ac.uk/DC403/DC403_page.htm|date=5 June 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Forensic Medicine|author=Guharaj, P. V.|chapter=Cooling of the body (algor mortis)|year=2003|edition=2nd|pages=61–62|publisher=Longman Orient|location=Hyderabad|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8125024883}}</ref> estimates the hours elapsed since death as a [[linear function]] of the [[rectal temperature]]:

:<math>
(36.9^\circ C - \text{rectal temperature in Celsius})\cdot\frac{6}{5} </math>
or
:<math>
\frac{98.4\,^{\circ}{\rm F} - \text{rectal temperature in Fahrenheit}}{1.5}
</math>
<!-- (98.4&nbsp;°F&nbsp;-&nbsp;[rectal&nbsp;temperature&nbsp;in&nbsp;Fahrenheit])&nbsp;div 1.5 -->