The two most commonly used buttons are the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button. Since you’ll be using the Home button often, take the time to practice returning to the Home screen by pressing the Home button once. If you press the Home button twice in rapid succession, you can lock the screen rotation, adjust the volume, or switch to another app.

Locking the screen rotation can be handy if you like curling up in a chair or sofa with your iPad. Without locking your screen, the image might flip back and forth between portrait and landscape mode.

Switching between apps can be handy when you don’t want to end an app but want it to retain its current state, such as letting you play a game while temporarily checking your email.

Finally, don’t forget that the Volume Up/Down buttons can help you crank up your music or lower it so you don’t disturb others. Physically adjusting the volume through the Volume button is easy, but you can also adjust the volume by pressing the Home button twice and then swiping your app icons to the right to view the volume control slider.

If you really need to quiet your iPad down in a hurry, just configure the side switch to Mute and then use the physical Silent/Screen Rotation Lock switch instead.

By acquainting yourself to the purpose of these physical and virtual controls, you can quickly control your iPad. Once you know how to control your iPad with these physical and virtual buttons, the next step is to start learning how to control it using the more common touch gestures on the screen.