Hardware vs software distinction in Intro to Computing - Comparative Flowcharts

Process Overview

This flowchart explains how a computer system works by distinguishing between hardware and software. Hardware is the physical parts you can touch, like the keyboard and screen. Software is the set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do, like apps or games.

Flowchart

Is it a physical part?

↓

Hardware

↓

Can be touched

This flowchart shows the decision process to classify a computer component as hardware or software based on whether it is a physical part or not.

Step-by-Step Trace - 5 Steps

Step 1: Start the classification process.

Step 2: Check if the component is a physical part.

Step 3: If Yes, classify as Hardware.

Step 4: If No, classify as Software.

Step 5: End the classification.

Diagram

 +-------------------+       +-------------------+
 |                   |       |                   |
 |    Hardware       |       |    Software       |
 |                   |       |                   |
 |  [Physical parts] |       | [Instructions run]|
 +-------------------+       +-------------------+
          |                           |
          |                           |
  Keyboard, Mouse,             Apps, Games,
  Monitor, Printer            Operating System

This diagram shows two boxes side by side: Hardware on the left with examples of physical parts, and Software on the right with examples of programs and instructions.

Flowchart Quiz - 3 Questions

Which of these is an example of hardware?

A Keyboard

B Web browser

C Video game

D Operating system

Key Result

Hardware is the physical parts of a computer you can touch, while software is the set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do.