Fingerprints & Forensic Science

A fingerprint is composed mainly of

water

A fingerprint left at a crime scene

may last for years

Do all arches have at least two deltas and a core?

false

Do all loop patterns have a delta and a core?

true

A loop that opens toward the pinky is called

ulnar

Ridge characteristics such as bifurcation, bridge, and eye are called

minutiae

Area found near the center of some fingerprint patterns is the

core

How a print is developed depends on

the surface it is on

How large an area of a latent print is needed to make a positive comparison?

at least 8 to 12 characteristics

Ridge characteristics can be found in

all of these

Do ridge characteristics provide individualization for fingerprints?

true

Does superglue fuming work well on papers?

false

The FBI's fingerprint database is

IAFIS

The fingerprint pattern that enters one side and exits the other while rising upward is an

arch

The fingerprint pattern with ridges entering and leaving from the same side is a

loop

Silver nitrate was first used to visualize fingerprints in

the Hamm kidnapping

The most common method of visualizing latent prints is

dusting

The person most responsible for the fingerprint system used in the U.S. is

Edward Henry

Are there legal requirements for the number of matching points?

true

Are there two basic types of whorls?

false

The specific part of the skin that gives us fingerprints is the

epidermis

The study of fingerprints is called

dactyloscopy

The three basic fingerprint patterns are

loops arches whorls

The triangular area in a fingerprint pattern is called a

delta

The two types of arches are

plain tented

The two types of loops are

radial ulnar

Cyanoacrylate is found in

super glue

A fingerprint left in clay is

plastic

A fingerprint left on paper is

latent

Best way to visualize a print on a glass bottle

either dusting or superglue

Best way to visualize a print on paper

iodine

When a solid transforms into vapor, the process is

sublimation

What is found in an arch pattern?

minutiae

Which of these is a whorl?

all of these

What provides the individuality of fingerprints?

minutiae

What is the pattern area where ridges diverge?

delta

What is the raised portion of skin that forms fingerprint patterns?

ridge

What is the depression between ridges called?

furrow

What type of print is formed by blood, paint, or dirt?

visible print

What type of print requires chemical development?

latent print

What type of print is impressed into a soft surface?

plastic print

What is the Henry Classification System used for?

categorizing fingerprint patterns

What is the first principle of fingerprints?

fingerprints are unique

What is the second principle of fingerprints?

fingerprints remain unchanged throughout life

What is the third principle of fingerprints?

fingerprints can be classified into patterns

What is the most common fingerprint pattern?

loop

What is the least common fingerprint pattern?

arch

What type of whorl has two loops?

double loop whorl

What type of whorl has a central pocket?

central pocket whorl

What type of whorl has irregular features?

accidental whorl

What is the chemical used to develop prints on porous surfaces that turns them purple?

ninhydrin

What chemical reacts with fatty acids and oils?

iodine

What chemical reacts with chloride ions?

silver nitrate

What development method uses vapors to harden prints?

cyanoacrylate fuming

What is the purpose of fingerprint powder?

to adhere to moisture and oils in prints

What color powder is used on dark surfaces?

white powder

What color powder is used on light surfaces?

black powder

What type of light is used to detect latent prints?

alternate light source (ALS)

What case first used fingerprints to convict a murderer?

The Rojas case (Argentina)

What case involved the first U.S. conviction using fingerprints?

The Will West case

What case proved anthropometry was unreliable?

The Will West case

What case used silver nitrate to visualize prints?

The Hamm kidnapping

What case famously used fingerprint evidence on a ransom note?

The Lindbergh kidnapping

What development method is best for non-porous surfaces?

superglue fuming

What development method is best for porous surfaces?

ninhydrin

What development method is temporary and must be photographed quickly?

iodine fuming

What development method uses metal deposition?

vacuum metal deposition

What development method uses fluorescent dyes?

Rhodamine 6G

What is the first step in fingerprint analysis?

pattern recognition

What is the second step in fingerprint analysis?

minutiae identification

What is the third step in fingerprint analysis?

comparison

What is the final step in fingerprint analysis?

evaluation and verification

What is the most reliable biometric identifier?

fingerprints

What type of evidence are fingerprints considered?

individual evidence

What is the minimum age at which fingerprints fully form?

before birth (10 weeks gestation)

Can fingerprints be permanently removed?

no

Ridge ending

Island

fork

dot

Bridge

Spur

eye

birfurcation

Trifurcation

Plain Whorl

Central pocket whorl

Double loop

Accidental Whorl

Plain arch

Tented arch