Is a mouse considered hardware or software?

A mouse is considered hardware because it is a physical device that you can touch and interact with, used to input data into a computer system. Hardware refers to the tangible components of a computer that you can physically manipulate, such as keyboards, monitors, and pointing devices like a mouse.

In contrast, software consists of the programs and applications that run on a computer, which are not tangible and cannot be physically touched. Since a mouse is a tool that facilitates user interaction with software by allowing users to navigate and control various applications, its classification as hardware is clear.

The other options—software, neither, and both—do not apply to a mouse because a mouse lacks the characteristics of software and is strictly a physical component of the computing system.