In this paper, we present a fingerprint recognition experiment for undergra
duate students using holographic techniques. It provides an inexpensive, en
joyable, and instructive insight into image treatment, optical computing, a
nd its applications. It proves the simplicity and high performance of optic
al solutions when computing the correlation between two images, especially
when a multiplexing scheme is incorporated. (C) 1999 American Association o
f Physics Teachers.