Date: 10/03/2022 Shift: 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM Q. No: 96

Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer. Computer hardware is any part of the computer that can be touched. These are the primary electronic devices used to build a computer. Examples of hardware in a computer are the Processor, Memory Devices, Monitor, Printer, Keyboard, Mouse, and the Central Processing Unit (CPU).
Software is a collection of instructions, procedures, documentation that perform different tasks on a computer system. We can also say that computer software is a programming code executed on a computer processor. The code can be machine-level code, or the code written for an operating system. Examples of software are MS-Word, MS-Excel, MS-Power Point, Google Chrome, Photoshop, MySQL, etc.
Differences between software and hardware:
Software is a set of instructions that tells a computer exactly what to do. It is developed and engineered. Software cannot be executed without hardware. We can see and use the software but cannot touch them. It is mainly divided into system software, programming software and application software. Application software is one of the types of software which runs or executes as per user request. High-level languages such as Java, C, C++, etc. are used to develop the application software. Application software is a specific purpose software which is intended to perform some tasks grouped together. Without an operating system, application software cannot be installed. Software is affected by computer viruses. If software is damaged, its backup copy can be reinstalled.
Hardware is manufactured. Hardware cannot perform any task without software. It has four main categories: input devices, output devices, storage, and internal components. Hardware is not affected by computer viruses. If hardware is damaged, it is replaced with a new one.