create your own

How to Create a Fingerprint Science Fair Project

82
rate or flag this page

By Lela Davidson


See Also:

Fingerprint Science Project For Kids

Application For Fingerprints By the FBI and Law Enforcement

How to Create a Fingerprint Science Fair Project

Fingerprinting Your Kids at School

All About Fingerprints

Fingerprint Classification Project

When I Grow Up: Jobs With the FBI


 

Fingerprints can be a fascinating subject for a science fair project. There are several different aspects of fingerprints to explore in a science fair format. Fingerprints make a great visual for a science fair trifold and the subject gets even young kids engaged. Everyone can relate to fingerprints.

Designing the Project

The first thing you'll need to determine is what kind of fingerprint experiment you want to conduct. Some possible topics include:

  • Fingerprint similarity between family and non-related people
  • Percentage of different fingerprint patterns in a random sample
  • Readability of latent fingerprints left by different mediums (ie. sweat, blood, mud)

It's helpful to think about and articulate what first interested you in the topic and also what could be some results of your experiment. In other words, why do you care - and why should anyone else care?

Once you know what you're going to explore, create your hypothesis, or assumption about what you expect the results of your fingerprint science project to reveal. Make sure to state the basis of your expectations.

Collecting Fingerprints

Fingerprints can be recorded by applying special ink to the fingers and pressing down on a white card. This produces a copy of the fingerprints. (At crime scenes, fingerprints may be visible because he criminals fingers were soiled with blood, dirt, or other substances. Non-visible prints (latent) are left by perspiration or oils on the fingers.) For the purposes of a science project, regular ink will do the job.

Printable Fingerprint Card

You will only need a few household items for this project:

  • Ink pad
  • Magnifying glass
  • Paper
  • Ink pen

Label paper with the child's name. If you don't mind a mess, let the kids take each other's prints. But if you have nice fabric close by, let a parent help. Starting with the pinky finger of the left hand, press fingers into ink then touch to the paper. (Experts roll each finger from left to right to get a more thorough print.) Let the prints dry, then observe with the magnifying glass.

Presenting Results

When it's time to present your results, the more visual the better. Be sure to include graphs, pictures, and a sample of your experiment materials (ie. the fingerprints!)

Analyze your results, paying special attention to surprises and thing you learned or would have done differently.

Many science projects include a research component. There is a vast amount of information available on the history of the use of fingerprints by law enforcement.

Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub

donnaleemason profile image

donnaleemason  says:
2 years ago

Interesting, I would never have thought of using it, how creative.

Donna

Annette Rozen profile image

Annette Rozen  says:
2 years ago

i liked reading your bio so i clicked on this site. I see that motherhood has provided you with a wealth of useful information - good for you for sharing!!!

magriet profile image

magriet  says:
2 years ago

Very interesting, thanks. Would not have thought to use it, at all. I knew the basics but I did not think it would be enough to do an actual project. Was I wrong!

raschell  says:
12 months ago

I am 11 his is goodfor me in science

VictoriaKittyLover  says:
7 months ago

I am doing my 5th grade science fair project on this! Thanks 4 the help!

SecretMonkeyUnicornPerson  says:
7 months ago

How come all of these websites have the SAME THING that I just cant put in my own words? I'LL TELL YOU WHY!!! THE WORLD IS RUN BY THE MAN, AND THE MAN HATES ME!

CSI Science Fair Projects  says:
6 months ago

Fun and interesting science fair projects like the fingerprint science fair projects you mention are great for exciting kids about science. Other fun topics include: blood typing, biometrics and dna extraction.

ScienceFairLady profile image

ScienceFairLady  says:
4 months ago

Excellent fun science fair project. What I like about this particular experiment is that it is easy, not expensive and can involve the whole family.

angelou  says:
3 months ago

it is veryyyyyyyyyyyyy coollllll i hope there is more nicer than this

QouSay profile image

QouSay  says:
3 months ago

+1 so cool.. hehehe

m0nk3y  says:
3 months ago

this is a very cool science experiment

weirdo  says:
2 months ago

this thing is so helpful!!!!

LaRiSsA  says:
2 months ago

hi!!!! this thing is so helpful and easy!!!!! I love it!!!!

=) hee hee haa haa!!!

JazZiE  says:
4 weeks ago

This Helped Alot..

But Using A Graph i Really Dont

Get It..

vatery  says:
3 weeks ago

tis project is very hard and i have to finish it by tomorrow

GI JOE  says:
3 weeks ago

This is and good project but i just dont get it. And this has to be easy?

habhbkxh  says:
3 weeks ago

this is not that hard but a little cofusing

joxdude  says:
3 weeks ago

Awsomest excperiment!!!!!!!!!LOL

joxdude  says:
3 weeks ago

this excperiment lags NOTHING!!!

joxdude  says:
3 weeks ago

this excperiment lags NOTHING!!!

hate joxdude  says:
2 weeks ago

hey joxdude u dont know how to spell

EXPIREMENT my little sister can but not u thats lame and ur lame!!!!! hahaha

Launie  says:
10 days ago

It was very helpful and it can to any one else

Submit a Comment

Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.


optional


  • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
  • Comments are not for promoting your hubs or other sites

working