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Computer keyboard key explanations: The physical layout is the actual position of the keys on a keyboard. The visual layout is the arrangement of legends (labels, markings, engravings) that appear on those keys. Functional layout is the arrangement of key-sense associations or keyboard mappings, determined in software for all keys on a keyboard: this (rather than legends) determines the actual response to a key press.
Modern computer keyboards are designed to send a scancode to the operating system. This code only reports the row and column of keys, not the specific character engraved on that key: (OS) when a key is pressed or released. The OS converts the scancode to a specific binary character code using a “scancode to character” conversion table, called a keyboard mapping table.
Computer keyboard key explanations
Computer Awareness is a common section for various Bank, Insurance, SSC and RRB exams conducted in the country. List of computer shortcut keys is one such question which can be asked not only as a part of computer section but also in general awareness section in some cases. Candidates who are willing to apply for any of the upcoming exams can check the latest notification for Sarkari Exam in the linked article.
Since computer shortcut keys are an important part of computer awareness syllabus, we have listed these shortcut keys below in this article. Also some sample questions based on this topic can also be asked which are discussed below. Prepare for the Computer Knowledge section with the help of the link given below:
The table is a list of some commonly used basic shortcut keys that work with IBM compatible computers and software. It is highly recommended that all users use these keys and try to remember them.
Listing of non-alphanumeric keys
| Key/symbol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Windows | PC keyboards have a Windows key that looks like a four-pane, wavy window. |
| Command | Apple Mac computers have a Command with a symbol resembling a cloverleaf. |
| Menu | PC keyboards also have a Menu key that looks like a cursor pointing to a menu. |
| Esc | Esc (escape) key. |
| F1 – F12 | What are the F1 through F12 keys? |
| F13 – F24 | Information about the F13 through F24 keyboard keys. |
| Tab | Tab key. |
| Caps lock | Caps lock key. |
| Shift | Shift key. |
| Ctrl | Control key. |
| Fn | Function key. |
| Alt | Alternate key (PC only; Mac users have an Option key). |
| Spacebar | Spacebar key. |
| Arrows | Up, down, left, right Arrow keys. |
| Back Space | Back space (or Backspace) key. |
| Delete | Delete or Del key. |
| Enter | Enter key. |
| Prt Scrn | Print Screen key. |
| Scroll Lock | Scroll Lock key. |
| Pause | Pause key. |
| Break | Break key. |
| Insert | Insert key. |
| Home | Home key. |
| Page up | Page up or pg up key. |
| Page down | Page down or pg dn key. |
| End | End key. |
| Num Lock | Num Lock key. |
| ~ | Tilde. |
| ` | Acute, back quote, grave, grave accent, left quote, open quote, or a push. |
| ! | Exclamation mark, exclamation point, or bang. |
| @ | Ampersat, arobase, asperand, at, or at symbol. |
| # | Octothorpe, number, pound, sharp, or hash. |
| £ | Pound Sterling or Pound symbol. |
| € | Euro. |
| $ | Dollar sign or generic currency. |
| ¢ | Cent sign. |
| ¥ | Chinese/Japanese Yuan. |
| § | Micro or section. |
| % | Percent. |
| ° | Degree. |
| ^ | Caret or circumflex. |
| & | Ampersand, epershand, or and symbol. |
| * | Asterisk, mathematical multiplication symbol, and sometimes referred to as a star. |
| ( | Open or left parenthesis. |
| ) | Close or right parenthesis. |
| – | Hyphen, minus, or dash. |
| _ | Underscore. |
| + | Plus. |
| = | Equal. |
| { | Open brace, squiggly brackets, or curly bracket. |
| } | Close brace, squiggly brackets, or curly bracket. |
| [ | Open bracket. |
| ] | Closed bracket. |
| | | Pipe, or, or vertical bar. |
| \ | Backslash or reverse solidus. |
| / | Forward slash, solidus, virgule, whack, and mathematical division symbol. |
| : | Colon. |
| ; | Semicolon. |
| “ | Quote, quotation mark, or inverted commas. |
| ‘ | Apostrophe or single quote. |
| < | Less than or angle brackets. |
| > | Greater than or angle brackets. |
| , | Comma. |
| . | Period, dot, or full stop. |
| ? | Question mark. |
Basics of Computers | Computer Keyboard Keys and their Functions
Final Words
Keyboard layout is the special arrangement of keys on a keyboard. Keyboard layout determines the design, size, and type of keyboard.
There are various layouts of computer keyboards available today. Different countries of the world have developed keyboard layouts according to their language and script.
