Mouse

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A mouse is a handheld computer pointing device, designed to sit under one hand of the user and detect movement relative to its supporting surface. In addition, it usually features buttons and/or other devices, such as "wheels", which allow performing various system-dependent operations.
The mouse's 2D motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display. The name "mouse", coined at the Stanford Research Institute, derives from the resemblance of early models (which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail) to the common small rodent of the same name

Operating a mechanical mouse.

1: Moving the mouse turns the ball.

2: X and Y rollers grip the ball and transfer movement.

3: Optical encoding disks include light holes.

4: Infrared LEDs shine through the disks.

5: Sensors gather light pulses to convert to X and Y velocities.

Tactile mice

In 2000, Logitech introduced the "tactile mouse", which contained a small actuator that made the mouse vibrate. Such a mouse could be used to augment user interfaces with haptic feedback, such as giving feedback when crossing a window boundary.
Other unusual variants have included a mouse that is held freely in the hand, rather than on a flat surface, and detects six dimensions of motion (the three spatial dimensions, plus rotation on three axes). It was marketed for business presentations when the speaker is standing or walking around. So far, these mouse exotica have not achieved widespread popularity.

Mouse speed

Mouse speed is often expressed in DPI (dots per inch). One DPI is intended to be the number of pixels the mouse cursor will move when the mouse is moved one inch. However, software tricks like changeable mouse sensitivity can be used to make a cursor move faster or slower than its DPI, and cursor acceleration can be used to make the cursor accelerate when the mouse is moving at a constant speed. This makes "DPI" a confusing term (); a replacement term, "CPI" (counts per inch), has been suggested by Apple and several other designers.
A less common unit is the "Mickey" (named after Mickey Mouse). It is not a traditional unit of measurement because it indicates merely the number of "dots" reported in a particular direction. Only when combined with the DPI of the mouse does it become an indication of actual distance moved. In the absence of acceleration, the Mickey corresponds to the number of pixels moved on the computer screen. Additionally, operating systems traditionally apply acceleration, referred to as ballistics, to the motion reported by the mouse. For example, versions of Windows prior to Windows XP doubled reported values above a configurable threshold, and then optionally doubled them again above a second configurable threshold. These doublings were applied separately in the X and Y directions, resulting in very nonlinear response. In Windows XP and many OS versions for Apple Macintosh computers, a smoother ballistics calculation is used that compensates for screen resolution and has better linearity.

"Mice" or "mouses?"

The fourth (current as of 2006) edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language reports both "computer mice" and "computer mouses" as correct plural forms for "computer mouse." The traditional form "mice," however, is the most common choice, whereas some technical documents' authors may prefer the form "mouse devices."