Hardware: Refers to the physical, tangible components of a computer system. These are the parts you can see and touch. Think of the electronic and mechanical parts that make up the computer.
Software: Refers to the intangible set of instructions, data, or programs that tell the computer hardware what tasks to perform. It's the code that makes the hardware functional. You can't physically touch
software; you interact with it through the hardware.
Hardware Examples:
Internal Components: Central Processing Unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD), Motherboard, Graphics Card (GPU), Power Supply.
External Peripherals: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Printer, Scanner, Speakers, USB flash drive.
Software Examples:
System
Software: Operating Systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), Device Drivers (for printers, graphics cards), Utility
Software (antivirus, file compression), Firmware (BIOS/UEFI).