5 Facts About the Computer Mouse

The is holding a computer class today to teach about how to use the mouse with the machine. This course is free, and is designed to help people who have never used a computer before. So in honor of the class, we present five facts about the computer mouse.

Information is from Webopedia.

• 1963 Invention—The computer mouse was invented in 1963 by Stanford Research Center's Douglas Engelbart.
• Controls Cursor—The mouse is designed to control the movement of the cursor, or pointer, on the computer screen. It allows movement along a surface to help move that pointer.
• Name's the Same—The mouse is named as such because it looks a little like a mouse, with a mouse-like shape that has a connecting wire, which looks like the tail.
• Three Types—There are three types of the mouse, the mechanical, the optomechanical and the optical. The first has a ball on the underside to help it move, the second has optical sensors to detect motion of the mouse and the third uses a laser to detect movement.
• Several Connections—The mouse can either be plugged in directly to the computer, or it can be cordless, where it doesn't connect to the computer and uses radiowaves to communicate with the machine.