1.1 Hardware and Software

2026 Syllabus Objectives

Hardware:

Hardware consists of the physical components of a computer system
Internal components including Central Processing Unit (CPU), processor, motherboard
Internal memory including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM)
Hardware components including graphics card, sound card, Network Interface Card (NIC), camera, internal/external storage devices, input and output devices

Software:

Software are programs for controlling the operation of a computer or processing of electronic data
Applications software provides the services that the user requires to solve a task
Examples of applications software including word processing, spreadsheet, database management systems, control, measurement, applets and apps, video editing, graphics editing, audio editing, computer aided design (CAD)
System software provides the services that the user requires to operate
Examples of system software including compilers, linkers, device drivers, operating systems and utilities

Analogue and digital data:

Characteristics of analogue and digital data
Differences between analogue and digital data
The need to convert: analogue to digital data so it can be processed by a computer; digital data to analogue data so it can be used to control devices

Hardware is a general term for the physical components that make up a computer system. These are the tangible parts you can see and touch.

💡 Book Analogy: Just as the pages and ink make up the physical book, hardware comprises the physical parts of a computer system.

Hardware can be categorized into three main groups:

These are the core components housed inside the computer system: