A scroll wheel is a wheel used for scrolling. The term usually refers to such wheels found on computer mice. It is often made of hard plastic with a rubbery surface, centred around an internal rotary encoder. It is usually located between the left and right mouse buttons and is positioned perpendicular to the mouse surface. Sometimes the wheel can be pressed left and right, which is actually just two additional macros buttons.
The middle "wheel" is the scroll wheel.
Trackwheel (1) on a BlackBerry
Scroll wheel on a Nokia 7110
A computer mouse is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the pointer on a display, which allows a smooth control of the graphical user interface of a computer.
A computer mouse with the most common features: two buttons (left and right) and a scroll wheel (which can also function as a button when pressed inwards)
A typical wireless computer mouse
A computer mouse is named for its resemblance to the rodent.
Inventor Douglas Engelbart holding the first computer mouse, showing the wheels that make contact with the working surface