MEANING OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

A computer system consists of hardware, the physical unit (parts) of the computer that
are capable of computing and manipulating information and software (set of instructions or
programs) that carries out predefined tasks to complete a given job. The computer performs
operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division only when the user instructs it to
do so. The user issues instructions and the CPU acts in accordance with the instructions. The
sets of instructions, which control the sequence of operations, are known as programs, and
collectively programs are called software.

We can equate hardware and software with human body and human intelligence,
respectively. All human physical actions such as walking and eating are based on the thoughts
and feelings, which is raised by the brain. If the brain does not raise thoughts and feelings, we
do not perform any physical activity. Similarly, the actions and functioning of every hardware
equipment is driven by software. The combination of physical equipment (hardware) and logical
instructions (software) gives modern computing system their power and versatility.