FSC1 SEMI-FINAL LECTURE

Part I
FINGERPRINT CLASSIFICATION
Fingerprint classification is a system of grouping the ten fingerprint impressions
developed by Sir Francis Galton and Edward Richard Henry. It involves the use of
various numerals and letters assigned to the ten prints in a multi-step process. The
original Henry system, as adopted by Scotland in 1901, converted ridge patterns on
all ten fingers into series of letters and numbers arranged in the form of a fraction.
TWO IMPORTANT FACTORS IN CLASSIFYING LOOP AND WHORL
PATTERNS
1. RIDGE COUNTING -loop
2. RIDGE TRACING – whorl
GENERAL FINGERPRINT RULES
In identifying each fingerprint pattern, an examiner has to follow several rules
particularly in locating delta and core, ridge counting and ridge tracing.
RULES IN THE SELECTION OF THE DELTA
1. Delta may not be located at the bifurcation not opening towards the core
(close delta and not located at the divergence point).
2. When the pattern shows a series of bifurcating ridges all opening toward the
core at the point of the divergence of the type lines, the bifurcation nearest
the core is chosen as the delta.
3. When there is a choice between a bifurcation and another type of delta,
equally close to the point of divergence or equidistant from that point, a
bifurcation is selected.
4. If a ridge emanates from or above the point of divergence of the type lines
and in the direction toward the core, the delta is located at the end of such
ridge nearer the point of divergence.
5. If a ridge enters the pattern area from a point below the divergence between
the type lines, the delta is located at the end nearer the core.
6. If a ridge is entirely within the pattern area, the delta is located at the end
nearer the point of divergence.
7. It two different ridge formations, excluding bifurcation, appear and are
equidistant to the diverging point, the matter of selection is based upon the
following conditions:
a. In a case of a long and short ridge, the long ridge will be chosen.
b. In a case where a short ridge and ridge eye are present, the short ridge
will be chosen.
c. In a case of a ridge eye and a very short ridge, the ridge eye will be
chosen.
d. In a case of a very short ridge and a dot ridge, the very short ridge will be
chosen.
RULES IN SELECTION OF CORE IN LOOP PATTERNS
1. If the innermost recurving or looping ridge does not contain any ending ridge
inside it, the core is located on the shoulder of such re-curving ridge farther
from the delta.
2. When the innermost looping or recurving ridge contains a single ending ridge
or rod rising as high or above the shoulder line, the core is located at the end
or tip of such ending ridge.
3. When the innermost re-curving ridge contains uneven number of ending
ridges or rod rising as high or above the shoulder line of said re0curving
ridge, the core is placed upon the end of the center ending ridge, where it
touches the looping ridge or not.
4. When the innermost re-curving ridge contains an even number of ridge or
rods rising as high or above the shoulder line, the core is located upon the end
of the farther one of the two center ridges/rods. The two center ridges are
treated as though they were connected by a re-curving ridge.
5. If the innermost looping ridge is connected at the right angle between its
shoulders by an appendage, the innermost looping ridge is destroyed and the
uninvolved loop immediately outside of it shall be considered as the
innermost loop and shall be used to determine the location of the core.
6. If there are two distinct loop in the center of the innermost looping ridge,
which run side by side, the re-curving ridges are considered as one with the
two ending ridges and the core is establish at the shoulder of the one of that
is farther from the delta.
7. In the event two distinct loops in the center of the innermost looping ridge
intersects below the shoulder line, the two re-curving ridges are treated as
one with two ending ridges and the core is located at the first or nearer
shoulder of second loop or at the innermost ending ridge farther from the
delta.
8. If two distinct loops in the center of the innermost looping ridge intersect
above the shoulder line, the two re-curving/looping ridges are treated, as one
with two ending ridges and the core is located at the farther shoulder of the
first loop or at the innermost ending ridge farther from the delta.
9. When two different loops intersect in the shoulder line, the point of
intersection is considered as the core.

Part II
RIDGE COUNTING
This is the process of counting the ridges that touch or cross the line of count
drawn between the delta and core of loop patterns. A white space must always
intervene between the delta ang the first ridge to be counted.
RULES IN RIDGE COUNTING
 1. Locate the exact point of the core and the delta.
2. Count all the ridges which touch or cross an imaginary line drawn between
the core and delta.
3. Never include the core and the delta in counting. Count only those ridges,
which intervene or pass the imaginary line or count of line.
4. Incipient ridges are never counted, no matter where they appear. The general
rule is that in order to be counted, the width of the ridge must be equal to the
width of the other ridges in the pattern under consideration.
RULES INCLUDED IN RIDGE COUNTING AND THEIR NUMERICAL VALUE.
1. An island ridge or a dot ridge is given one ridge count.
2. A ridge is given one ridge count.
3. A long ridge is given one ridge count.
4. An abrupt ending ridge is given one count.
5. If a ridge bifurcates into two across the imaginary line, the ridge count is two.
6. If the point of origin of a bifurcating ridge is on the line of count, the ridge
count is two.
7. It the legs of enclosure or eyelet ridge is on the line of count; the ridge count
is two.
8. It the intersection of the two enclosures is on the line of count, then the ridge
count is four.
9. When the core is located on ending ridge which touches the inside of the
innermost re-curving ridge, the re-curve is included in counting only when
the delta is located below a line drawn at right angle to the end or tip of such
ending ridge.
RIDGE COUNTING IN WHORL PATTERNS
Whorl patterns are counted only if they appear in the little fingers of both
hands. And if there is no loop in the eight fingers (little fingers not included), the
first whorl is to be counted to obtain the key classification formula.
1. A plain whorl and central pocket loop are treated as an ulnar loop.
2. A twin double loop is counted to an upright loop.
3. The counting in a lateral loop is made between the lower delta and the nearer
loop regardless of whether the print is found on the left or right hand.
4. An accidental whorl is counted from the extreme corresponding to the nearest
core (least number of ridge count).

Part III
RIDGE TRACING
It is the process of coursing or tracing the ridge that originates from the left
delta flowing towards the right delta or near that point and determining the
number of intervening ridges between the traced ridge and right delta to constitute
the three subdivisions such as inner, meeting, and outer presented by capital letters
I, M and O.

*INNER WHORL (I)

a. nearest the right delta
b. above or inside it
c. 3 or more intervening ridges

*MEET/MEETING WHORL (M)

a. relative point nearest the right delta
b. above or inside
c. one of two intervening ridges
*OUTER WHORL (O)
a. relative point nearest the right delta
b. below/outside
c. 3 or more intervening ridges