Also called: Vertical drop method

Where on the hand: Applied to the upper half of the Life line only — the stretch running from the thumb-web down past the Mount of Venus's upper slope.

What it looks like: Three verticals dropped from the fingers onto the Life line: from the centre of the index, from the gap between index and middle, and from the centre of the middle finger.

A quick method reliable only to about age 35. It gives three fixed landmarks from finger positions and is normally used to cross-check the quarter/midpoint scale rather than as a standalone system.