What is the Difference Between Software and Hardware?

Software and hardware are two essential components of a computer system, each playing a unique role in its functionality. While hardware refers to the physical components of a computer that you can touch and see, software encompasses the programs, applications, and data that instruct the computer on how to perform tasks.

Hardware: Hardware includes devices such as printers, keyboards, mice, monitors, and other physical components that are necessary for a computer to operate. These devices interact with the software to execute tasks and process information. Hardware is tangible and can be physically manipulated.

Software: Software consists of programs and applications that run on a computer system. These programs provide the instructions for the hardware to perform specific tasks. Examples of software include operating systems, word processing programs, web browsers, and games. Software is intangible and cannot be physically touched.

One example of software is a word processing program. Unlike hardware devices such as printers, keyboards, and mice, which are physical components that interact with the computer, a word processing program is a set of instructions that enable the computer to create, edit, and format text. Software programs are written using computer languages and utilize the hardware resources of the computer to function.