Unit 14: Vocabulary

Please study the 14 vocabulary terms below. Then press the Mark Complete button to continue.
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Alt (alternate key)
a special key which can open toolbar windows, assist other commands, or change the accent over a lette
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On Macintosh computers, the Alt key is called the Option key.
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arrow keys
a set of four input buttons on a keypad or keyboard often used for navigation in interfaces or applications
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The girl used the arrow keys to move the space ship in the video game.
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caps lock key
a key which toggles letters between upper and lower case
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The caps lock key is a frequent cause of problems when users log on to computer systems.
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^ (caret key)
often used to indicate rising another number to a power; also used in regular expressions to indicate the starting point
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2 ^ 3 = 8.
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Ctrl (control key)
a computer key often used in shortcuts or to initiate some action with the help of another key
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A popular shortcut in Microsoft Word is to hit Ctrl-s to save a document.
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Del (delete key)
a key which moves the cursor one space to the right deleting any character which might be there
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Macintosh laptops do not have a delete key, instead forcing the user to simultaneously press "function" and "backspace".
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Esc (escape key)
a key normally in the upper left corner of a keyboard labeled with program specific functions such as backing out of a menu
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The student had never used the escape key before he started learning the Unix shell.
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function key
any one of several "F" keys on the keyboard that performs a programmable input
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Most computer users do not use the function keys on their keyboards.
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# (hash key)
this key is often used to comment out code or signify a number; in the US this is known as a pound sign or a number key
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Often you must press the hash key on a telephone when entering information with the keypad.
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Pgdn (page down key)
a key which jumps the cursor a preset amount of distance towards the bottom of a document
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Because of varying concepts of a 'page', many programs react differently to the page down key.
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Pgup (page up key)
a key which jumps the cursor a preset amount of distance towards the top of a document
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The teacher told the students to hit the page up key several times to get to the top of the document.
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Pr Scr (print screen key)
a key which normally captures the current screen to the clipboard to be pasted into an imaging program
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Many graphic designers use the print screen key to take screen shots of applications to be used in tutorials or brochures.
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scroll lock key
a legacy key, normally with a corresponding LED light, which often has no assigned usage
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The computer operator suddenly realized after 10 years that he had never used the Scroll Lock key for anything.
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tab key
a key that, when pressed, moves the insertion point to the next preset marke
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The usability expert showed the office workers how to save time by using the tab key instead of the mouse.
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