Keyboard is the most
common text-based input device. Computer keyboards are similar to electronic
typewriter keyboards with additional keys. The keyboard is used to enter
(type in) letters, numbers and other characters. Most keyboards have between 80
and 110 keys.
The keyboards used by us are also known as QWERTY keyboards because
the first six typing keys on the top row of letters spell QWERTY. The
QWERTY keyboard was designed in the 1800s for mechanical typewriters and was
actually designed to slow typists down to avoid jamming the keys on mechanical
units. Let us learn about the keys on a keyboard.
Alphabet keys:
Keys for the letters A to Z are called alphabet keys or letter keys. There are 26 alphabet keys on a computer
keyboard. They are used to enter letters. You can type both capital and small
letters using the alphabet keys. The alphabet keys are shown below:
Number Keys:
We type in numbers using the number
keys. The keyboard has number keys for the digits 0 to 9. They are shown
below.
A keyboard has two set of number keys.
The first set of number keys is present above the alphabet keys and second set
of keys is present on the right side of the keyboard. The second set of number
keys is called numeric keypad. To
use the numeric keypad, you need to press the Num Lock key to turn it on. The Num Lock indicator light glows when
the Num Lock key is turn on.
Spacebar:
The spacebar is the longest key on the
keyboard. It is usually found in the lowest row. It is used to put or enter a
blank space between two letters or numbers. For example, to type the sentence, “Computer is a Machine”. Follow the
given steps:
- Step 1: Type
“Computer”.
- Step 2: Press
the Spacebar Key.
- Step 3: Type
“is”.
- Step 4: Press
the Spacebar Key.
- Step 5: Type
“a”.
- Step 6: Press
the Spacebar Key.
- Step 7: Type
“Machine”
Enter Keys:
There are two Enter keys on the keyboard. When we finish typing in one line, we
press the Enter key to start a new
line. This moves the cursor to the
next line. The cursor is a blinking line ( ׀ ) that we see on the
screen while typing. It shows where the next character or action will come.
Pressing Enter may also make the
computer start a new action. For example,
to type two sentences, “A computer is a
machine” and “It works very fast”
in two different lines. Follow the given steps:
- Step 1: Type
the sentence “A computer is a machine.”
- Step 2: Press
Enter key. The cursor gets placed at
the beginning of the next line.
- Step 3: Type
the sentence “It works very fast.”
Delete Keys:
The Delete
key can used to erase a character. When typing, we see a blinking line like
׀.
It is called cursor. Pressing the Delete key erases the character to the
right of the cursor. For example, you wanted to type the word COMPUTER, but by mistake you typed the
letter “A” after “M”.
To remove the letter “A”, place the
cursor before it and press the Delete key. The letter “A” gets removed.
Backspace Key:
The Backspace
key can used to erase a character. When typing, we see a blinking line like
׀.
It is called cursor. Pressing the Backspace key erases the character to
the left of the cursor. For example, you wanted to type the word COMPUTER, but by mistake you typed the
letter “A” after “M”.
To remove the letter “A”, place the
cursor after it and press the Backspace key. The letter “A” gets removed.
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