Your computer mouse lets you move the cursor (pointer) round the screen and then ‘click’ to start a program or begin writing in a particular place or open a menu to see what choices you have. All desktop computers come with a mouse, and you can use one on a laptop if you don’t like the touchpad that’s built into it.
Invented in 1963 by Douglas Engelbart, the computer mouse has developed over the years and now comes in a variety of designs. It’s called ‘mouse’ because it has a basic mouse shape and the cable that attaches it to the computer looks like a tail. When referring to the device in the plural, both ‘mice’ and ‘mouses’ are acceptable, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Mice were first made with two gear wheels to define direction and then with a ‘trackball’, all of which moved in contact with a surface. Today optical mice that use light to detect direction are more common. Mice can also be cordless, making them easier to move.
- See more at: http://digitalunite.com/guides/computer-basics/how-use-mouse#sthash.a6fNnzJP.dpuf