Input Devices:

An input device is a device that is used to get data into the computer.

NB: An input device is a peripheral device.

Examples of input device:

1. Mouse – this is a pointing device that is used to control a cursor or mouse pointer on your
screen. A mouse can be optical or have a ball. Some may be wireless or wired.

2. A joystick – a pointing device that is used mainly in gaming. As you move the lever you get
to control an object on your screen.

3. Keyboard – an input device used for entering text and numbers. There are many different
designs but the most common one is the QWERTY design where the first 6 letters on the
device spells the word QWERTY. Keyboards can be wired or wireless. There are also Braille
keyboards for persons who are visually impaired or blind.

4. Trackpad – a small, flat, rectangular pad upon which you move your finger to control the
cursor on your screen. They are found mainly on laptop computers.

5. Microphone – these are used for entering audio data into the computer.

6. Document Scanners – these are used for converting hardcopy documents, diagrams and
pictures to a digital form and then entering it onto the computer.

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7. OCR – Optical Character Recognition/reader – these input devices are to identify printed or
written text characters. Some OCR devices can even recognize hand written notes. OCR
devices can be used by teachers to scan text from books and edit them, instead of having to
type the entire passage.

8. OMR – Optical Mark Recognition/Reader – these devices can recognize marks made on
paper and are used for example, in the marking of multiple choice answer sheets. The
marks must be very clearly made and be darker than the paper it is made on.

9. MICR – Magnetic Ink Character Recognition – these devices are able to identify data printed
using a special ink with magnetic qualities. This technology is used by bank on their cheques
to speed up the identifying and sorting of them.

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10. Barcode Readers – a device used to read a pattern of bars representing information
pertaining to an item.

A barcode is a series of parallel lines of varying width that is printed on a container or

product that identifies the product.