Hard or Soft?

Hard or Soft?

Every computer system is two things working together: **hardware** and **software**. It sounds simple, but "define hardware" and "define software" are classic **one-mark** exam questions, and vague wording throws those marks away. Let's make your definitions exam-tight.

Hardware and software

Every computer system is these two things working together. Learn the exact phrases, because vague wording is what throws the one-mark definition away.

Define it precisely

For one mark, which is the best definition of **hardware**?

• The physical components of a computer system
• The programs that run on a computer
• Anything electronic
• The most expensive parts of a computer

Which definition scores?

Four students define **software** in an exam. Tap the ONE that would be given the mark.

• Student A:
• the parts of a computer you cannot touch
• . Student B:
• programs, or sets of instructions, that tell the hardware what to do
• . Student C:
• whatever appears on the screen while the computer is on
• . Student D:
• the things you download onto a computer

A quick test

Not sure which is which? Try this: **could you drop it on your foot?** If yes, it is **hardware**: a keyboard, a hard drive. If instead it is a program doing a job, like the typing app or the browser, it is **software**. A physical thing, against a set of instructions.

Spot the software

Pick the THREE items that are **software**.

• A web browser
• The operating system
• A word-processing program
• A keyboard
• A hard drive
• A monitor

Classify the item

The awkward one

A student buys a game on a DVD, holds up the disc and says "so this is software". Which statement is correct?

• The DVD is hardware, and the game stored on it is the software
• Both the disc and the game on it are hardware, since you can hold the disc
• Both are software, since a DVD exists only in order to carry programs
• Neither, because a game does not count as a program in the exam sense

They need each other

Hardware and software **depend on each other**: • Hardware with no software just sits there. A powerful machine doing nothing. • Software needs hardware to **run on** and to **carry out** (execute) its instructions.\n\nThat two-way dependency is exactly what a "describe the relationship" question is asking for.

What happens without it?

A new laptop is assembled with a CPU, RAM and a screen, but nothing has been installed on it. Describe the problem in the terms this topic uses.

• It is hardware with no software, so there are no instructions telling it what to do
• It is software with no hardware, so the instructions have nothing to run on
• The hardware must be faulty, because working hardware always does something
• There is no problem, because hardware carries out useful work on its own

Say it in one line

Hardware is the _____ components you can touch; software is the _____ that tell the hardware what to do. The software _____ on the hardware.

Diagnose the fault

A user calls the help desk: "I cannot print anything." At each step, work out whether you are looking at a hardware problem or a software one.

• You find that the printer cable has been chewed through. What kind of fault is that?
• The cable is replaced and the printer still does nothing. You find the printing software, its driver, has been deleted. What kind of fault is that?
• You reinstall it and printing works. Which statement best describes what that software was doing?
• The user asks why the computer could not simply work it out for itself. What is the best answer?

In the exam

Three phrases win the marks in this topic. Learn them close to word for word.

The full answer

Define hardware. Define software. Then describe the relationship between them, using an example of your own.

• For hardware, use the phrase physical components.
• For software, say what it IS: programs, or sets of instructions.
• Never define either one by what it is not.
• For the relationship, cover BOTH directions: software runs on hardware, and hardware carries out the instructions.
• Finish with one concrete example, naming a piece of hardware and a program that runs on it.