A computer or controller tracks a stepper motor's position by monitoring the number of what?

The correct answer is that a computer or controller tracks a stepper motor's position by monitoring the number of steps. Stepper motors are specifically designed to move in discrete steps, which means that their movement can be accurately controlled by sending a specific number of electrical pulses to the motor. Each pulse corresponds to one step, allowing precise positioning.

Stepper motors typically have a defined number of steps per revolution, which can vary depending on the motor's design. By counting these steps, a controller can determine the exact position of the motor shaft relative to its starting point. This feature makes stepper motors particularly useful in applications requiring high precision and repeatability, such as robotics, CNC machinery, and 3D printers.

Cycles, revolutions, and rotations are less precise in this context since they do not reflect the incremental nature of stepper motors. While a complete rotation consists of a certain number of steps, simply counting rotations or cycles does not provide the detailed positional information that counting steps offers.