Which part of a laptop serves the same function as a mouse?

A mouse works by letting the user move a pointer around the screen and select items by clicking, using hand movement across a flat surface. To find the laptop equivalent, look for the built-in component that performs this exact same pointer-control function.

The touchpad is a flat, touch-sensitive panel built into the laptop's body, usually just below the keyboard. Moving a finger across its surface moves the on-screen pointer, and tapping or pressing it performs a click, which is precisely the function a mouse serves on a desktop computer.

Arrow keys can move a text cursor or make menu selections in some programs, but they do not provide the smooth, freeform pointer control that a mouse or touchpad does. A navigation bar is a feature found within software such as a web browser, not a physical laptop component, and a keyboard's main purpose is typing text rather than controlling an on-screen pointer.

Examination reminder: identify the touchpad as the laptop's built-in equivalent of a mouse, since both provide the same style of freeform on-screen pointer control.