Hardware and software are two widely used terms in the computer industry. Generally speaking, hardware refers to physical components or parts of a computer system that can be seen and touched physically, while software refers to instructions or programs that tell the hardware what to do.
Hardware
Hardware is composed of physical components that make up a computer system. It includes components such as the central processing unit (CPU), memory (RAM) and storage devices (hard drives, optical drives, and floppy disks). It also includes input devices such as the keyboard, mouse and other peripheral devices, and output devices such as the monitor, printer and speakers. In a personal computer, the most important components are the motherboard, the CPU, and the RAM.
Hardware components must be assembled in order to create a computer system. Specialized tools are used to assemble the hardware components. Once the components are put together, they need to be connected to each other so that they can interact with each other. This is done using cables and wires, which are also known as connectors.
Software
Software is a set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. Software comes in a wide variety of forms, ranging from operating systems (like Windows, Mac OS and Linux) to applications (such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop). Without software, hardware components are useless because they cannot accomplish anything on their own. Software provides the instructions that tell the hardware how to operate, and how to interpret data.
Software is typically written in a programming language, such as C++ or Java. These languages allow programmers to write instructions in a human-readable form, which can then be compiled into machine code that can be read and understood by the hardware. Programming languages are usually written in text editors such as vi or emacs, and then compiled into binary form, which is readable by the hardware.
Difference
The main difference between hardware and software is that hardware is a physical component of a computer system, while software is a set of instructions that tells the hardware how to operate. Hardware components must be assembled in order for them to work, whereas software can simply be installed onto the hardware components. Additionally, hardware components can be seen and touched physically, whereas software consists of instructions that are intangible.