Which biometric method uses unique patterns of ridges on the fingertips for identification?

Which biometric method uses unique patterns of ridges on the fingertips for identification?

• A. Hand geometry
• B. Finger printing
• C. Facial recognition
• D. Retina scanning

Answer: (B)

Fingerprints use the unique friction ridge patterns on the fingertips to identify individuals. These ridge patterns, including minutiae like ridge endings and bifurcations, are highly distinctive and remain stable over a person’s lifetime, making them a reliable biometric for matching a live print to a stored template. When enrolled, a reference fingerprint is stored; during identification or verification, the system compares the captured fingerprint against the stored patterns to determine a match. Other biometrics work differently: hand geometry measures the overall size and shape of the hand and fingers, not the fingertip ridges; facial recognition analyzes facial features rather than skin patterns on the fingertips; retina scanning examines patterns in the eye, not ridges on the skin. Thus, the method that relies on fingertip ridge patterns is fingerprinting.

Fingerprints use the unique friction ridge patterns on the fingertips to identify individuals. These ridge patterns, including minutiae like ridge endings and bifurcations, are highly distinctive and remain stable over a person’s lifetime, making them a reliable biometric for matching a live print to a stored template. When enrolled, a reference fingerprint is stored; during identification or verification, the system compares the captured fingerprint against the stored patterns to determine a match.

Other biometrics work differently: hand geometry measures the overall size and shape of the hand and fingers, not the fingertip ridges; facial recognition analyzes facial features rather than skin patterns on the fingertips; retina scanning examines patterns in the eye, not ridges on the skin. Thus, the method that relies on fingertip ridge patterns is fingerprinting.