Robin Williams Mac OS X Book, Jaguar Edition, The

Asterisk Key

* The asterisk (*, Greek for “little star”) is used as a multiplication symbol in calculators, spreadsheets, databases, etc. You can use the asterisk on the numeric keypad, or you can press Shift 8 to get the asterisk you see above the number 8 on the keyboard. Thank goodness this key is also known as the Star key because so few people can spell or pronounce “asterisk.”