Science project
The Drawbacks of an Optical Mouse
The optical mouse replaced the old-school mechanical rollerball style mice that we can't seem to find anymore these days outside of antique stores and attics. Dust clogged up those rollerball-type mice and and they were prone to getting “caught” on things or to skid, which dramatically affected performance. The optical mouse solved those problems, using a red Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and optical sensor that relies on images being “offset” or slightly displaced for positioning. But did that solution creat other problems?
Problem:
Find out whether optical mice work on all surfaces, and try to understand why certain surfaces are better than others.
Materials:
- One wireless optical mouse
- Black mouse pad or black surface
- Light colored or white surface
- Piece of transparent glass
- Mirror
- A computer, of course
Procedure:
- Attach the optical mouse to your computer.
- Slide the white surface underneath your mouse. Observe if the mouse moves and responds easily.
- Now, replace the white surface with the black surface. What happens?
- Try putting a mirrored surface underneath, now what happens?
- Finally, try the transparent glass. Does the mouse move at all?
- Compare the different surfaces and research why some might be better than others.
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