This document introduces fingerprint scanners and how they work. Fingerprints are unique identifiers found on human fingertips. Fingerprint scanners use either optical or capacitive sensors to generate an image of the ridges and valleys in a fingerprint. The scanner then analyzes this image and compares it to stored fingerprints to authenticate a person's identity. Fingerprint scanning provides a convenient biometric security method for verifying who someone is.

1. Introduction to How Fingerprint
Scanners Work
● Computerized fingerprint scanners have
been a mainstay of spy thrillers for de
cades, but up until recently, they were
pretty exotic technology in the real wo
rld.
● In this article, we'll examine the secr
ets behind this exciting development in
law enforcement and identity security.

2. Fingerprint Basics
● Fingerprints are one of those bizarre t
wists of nature.
● Human beings happen to have built-in, e
asily accessible identity cards.
● You have a unique design, which represe
nts you alone, literally at your finger
tips.

3. Optical Scanner
● A fingerprint scanner system has two ba
sic jobs -- it needs to get an image of
your finger, and it needs to determine
whether the pattern of ridges and valle
ys in this image matches the pattern of
ridges and valleys in pre-scanned image
s.

4. Capacitance Scanner
● Like optical scanners, capacitive finge
rprint scanners generate an image of th
e ridges and valleys that make up a fin
gerprint.
● But instead of sensing the print using
light, the capacitors use electrical cu
rrent.

5. Analysis
● n movies and TV shows, automated finger
print analyzers typically overlay vario
us fingerprint images to find a match.
● In actuality, this isn't a particularly
practical way to compare fingerprints.

6. Pros and Cons
● There are several ways a security syste
m can verify that somebody is an author
ized user.
● Most systems are looking for one or mor
e of the following:
● What you have
● What you know
● Who you are