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Fingerprints And Fingerprints Essay

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Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.
Fingerprint patterns are classified into three main categories: loops, whorls, and arches. Loops make up sixty percent of the prints that are left behind, and their patterns trace back onto themselves, pointing either towards the thumb or the pinky. Whorls make up thirty-five percent of prints left behind, and they are circular in nature. These have many classifications and patterns: they can be concentric circles, or plain whorls; they can be loops with whorls at

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