Pointing device (ポインティングデバイス) is the umbrella term for input devices that indicate a position on the screen or convey a movement.
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The arrow or similar marker shown on the screen is called the pointer (cursor), and a pointing device moves it to select targets such as buttons and icons. How you operate it depends on the device: you might move the body, touch the screen, tilt a lever or draw with a pen.
AnalogyLike a laser pointer that lights up one spot on a slide in a meeting, these tools tell others "where" rather than "which characters to type."
How to rememberThe English verb "point" means to indicate something with a finger. Link the name to a family of devices whose job is pointing.
Exam points
Mix-upA keyboard (キーボード) inputs letters and numbers, which is different information from the positions and movements a pointing device (ポインティングデバイス) inputs.
Mix-upAn image scanner (イメージスキャナー) captures pictures or text drawn on paper as image data, so its purpose differs from that of a pointing device (ポインティングデバイス), which specifies a position on the screen.
A mouse (マウス) is a typical pointing device that moves the on-screen pointer according to the direction and distance you move its body across the desk.
Pressing a button on top, called a click, selects a target, and turning the wheel with a finger scrolls the screen up and down. Most mice today are optical: they shine light from the bottom and read changes in the desk surface pattern to detect movement.
AnalogyA tracing tool that copies your hand's movement on the desk onto the screen at a different scale.
How to rememberIts cord looks like a tail, making the device resemble a mouse; this is said to be where the name comes from.
Exam points
Mix-upA trackball (トラックボール) moves the pointer when you roll a ball on its stationary body with your fingers, so it takes up less desk space than a mouse (マウス), which moves across the desk as a whole.
A touch panel (タッチパネル) is a device whose display doubles as the input surface, so the touched position on the screen becomes the input directly.
Fingertip nears the screen
Detect where the charge changed
Convert the spot to coordinates
Operate the target at that spot
The button or icon at those coordinates is selected and the operation runs.
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Because the display and the input device are one unit, you can directly select the buttons or pictures you see. Detection methods include the capacitive method, which reads changes in capacitance (the amount of stored charge) when a fingertip approaches, and the pressure-sensitive method, which reads where layered films touch when pressed. A pressure-sensitive panel responds to force, so it works even with gloves on.
AnalogyA board with elevator buttons drawn on it, where pressing the picture counts as pressing the real button.
How to remember"Touch" means to make contact, and "panel" is a fitted board. Read it in two parts: a board you touch.
Exam points
Mix-upA touchpad (タッチパッド) moves the pointer when you slide a finger over a flat pad separate from the screen, so its input surface differs from that of a touch panel (タッチパネル), which takes the touched position on the display itself.
ExamThe capacitive method (静電容量方式) finds the position from the change in capacitance when a conductive object such as a finger approaches, so it tends not to respond when pressed with a non-conductive object.
A joystick (ジョイスティック) inputs directions or movements according to which way you tilt a lever standing on a base.
On many models, the target keeps moving in that direction while the lever is tilted, and some read the tilt angle to change the speed. Besides game controllers, joysticks are used to steer machines such as cranes, as well as wheelchairs.
AnalogyLike the lever on a claw machine: once you let go and it springs back to center, the claw stops moving too.
How to remember"Stick" in English means a rod. The name itself recalls a device you control by tilting a rod.
Exam points
Mix-upA mouse (マウス) inputs the direction and distance its body moves, whereas a joystick (ジョイスティック) inputs the direction in which its lever is tilted.
A pen tablet (ペンタブレット) inputs the position of the pen tip as you trace over a flat input surface with a dedicated pen.
Because it reads the pen-tip position continuously, the path you trace appears directly as a line, which suits drawing illustrations and design drawings and entering handwriting. Some models also read pen pressure, meaning how hard the tip is pressed, and reflect it in line thickness and darkness.
AnalogyA sketchbook that swaps the paper for a pad and the pencil for a dedicated pen.
How to rememberA "tablet" was originally a stone or board for inscribing text. Remember it by that origin: a tool for writing on a board.
Exam points
Mix-upSome pen tablets (ペンタブレット) have a built-in screen, so having a screen does not tell the two apart. A pen tablet reads the position of its dedicated pen, while a touch panel (タッチパネル) reads the screen position touched by a finger or similar.
Touch panel vs. Pen tablet
Aspect
Touch panel
Pen tablet
Key differenceWhat you input with
A finger or similar
A dedicated pen
What it reads
The touched position
Pen-tip position (some models also read pen pressure)
Input surface
The display itself
Usually a pad separate from the screen (some models have a screen)
Key points
Pointing device is the umbrella term for devices that input positions or movements on a screen, and the four devices in this unit are all examples.
A mouse detects its own movement by optical or other means and uses clicks and the wheel to select targets and scroll.
A touch panel uses its display as the input surface, and smartphones widely use the capacitive method.
A joystick inputs a direction by the way its lever is tilted and is used in games and for operating machines.
A pen tablet inputs the positions traced with a dedicated pen and suits drawing and handwriting.