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Caps Lock Key: This key is labelled with ‘Caps Lock’. It lies on the left side of the keyboard. It helps to type
the alphabet in capital letter when ‘ON’ and in small letter when ‘OFF’. The Caps Lock key is a type of Toggle
Key. When you press this key, a light glows in the right corner of the upper side of the keyboard, which
indicates that the functionality of ‘Caps Lock’ is active.
Backspace Key: This key is labelled with ‘Backspace’ or with a left arrow. When pressed, it erases the
characters which are present on the left side of the cursor.
Delete Key: This key is used to erase the characters. When pressed, it erases the character present on the
right side of the cursor.
Windows Key: This key is use to open the Start menu (Windows) and is used in combination with other
keys for shortcuts.
There are other keys also on the keyboard which are used for different purposes such as the Tab Key, End Key,
Page Up and Page Down Key, etc.
When a key is pressed on a keyboard, an electrical contact is formed, generating an electrical signal. These
signals are then transmitted in a coded form, typically using ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange) or another encoding scheme, to the microcontroller of the computer. This coded signal describes
the character corresponding to the pressed key.
Keyboards are essential for text-based programs and software. However, with the evolution of modern
graphical user interface (GUI) based operating systems and applications, more sophisticated pointing devices
have been developed. These include devices like mouse, joysticks, scanners, and others, which provide
alternative methods for input and interaction beyond simple keyboard input.
Numeric Keypad
Numeric keypad is used when enormous numeric data is to be entered. It is placed
on the right side of the keyboard. It contains numbers from 0 to 9, addition (+),
subtraction (–), multiplication (*) and division (/) symbols, a decimal point (.), Num
Lock and Enter key. Num Lock key enables the numeric keypad to work in dual
modes. On one mode, it represents numbers and on the other mode, it enables the
functioning of various keys like arrow keys, page up, page down, etc.
Home Keys
Home keys on a keyboard are fundamental for touch typing. Positioned in the middle row, they include A, S,
D, F for the left hand and J, K, L, ; for the right hand. Typists rely on these keys to maintain a consistent finger
position, enabling efficient typing without looking at the keyboard.
Guide Keys
On a computer keyboard, the keys ‘F’ and ‘J’ serve as guide keys for the left and right hands, respectively.
These keys are distinguished by a small raised tactile mark that helps touch typists accurately position their
fingers on the home keys.
TYPING AND DELETING TEXT
Typing and deleting text are fundamental actions in using a computer keyboard. Typing involves entering
characters, numbers and symbols, while deleting removes unwanted content. These actions are essential for
creating and editing documents, emails and messages efficiently.
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