Hardware and software Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology revision
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In plain words
A computer system has two halves. Hardware is everything you could drop on your foot. Software is the instructions that tell the hardware what to do, and you cannot touch it at all.
6 things to know
- Hardware is the physical components of a computer system.
- Internal hardware includes the central processing unit (CPU), the motherboard, internal memory (RAM and ROM), the graphics card, the sound card and the network interface card (NIC).
- External hardware includes input devices, output devices and external storage devices.
- Software is the programs that control the operation of a computer or process electronic data.
- Applications software provides the services the user needs to carry out a task: word processing, spreadsheets, database management, control and measurement software, apps, and video, graphics and audio editing.
- System software provides the services the computer needs in order to operate: operating systems, device drivers, compilers, linkers and utilities.
Worked example
Sort these into hardware, applications software and system software: a motherboard, a spreadsheet, a device driver, a graphics card, an operating system, a photo editor.
- Hardware, because they are physical parts: the motherboard and the graphics card.
- Applications software, because the user works with them to do a task: the spreadsheet and the photo editor.
- System software, because the computer needs them to run: the device driver and the operating system.
Tips and tricks
- Never give a brand name. Write "a word processor", not the name of a product: brand names earn no marks.
- A device driver is system software. It lets the operating system communicate with a piece of hardware.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Hardware and software: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
What is hardware?
If you can touch it, it is hardware.
Which of these is applications software?
It is used by the user to carry out a task.
Which of these is system software?
The computer needs it in order to work at all.
Which of these is an internal hardware component?
It is inside the case. The others are attached from outside.
What does a device driver do?
Each printer, scanner or camera needs its own.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
2 questions, 4 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Hardware and software
Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology 0417 · 4 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
Describe the difference between hardware and software.[2]
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Hardware is the physical components of a computer system. Software is the programs that control the computer or process data.
Give two examples of system software.[2]
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An operating system and a device driver. (Also: a compiler, a linker, utilities.)
Answers: Hardware and software
- 1. Hardware is the physical components of a computer system. Software is the programs that control the computer or process data.
- 2. An operating system and a device driver. (Also: a compiler, a linker, utilities.)