Spec & Goals 3 min
AQA Spec 3.4.1 · Hardware and software
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Define the terms hardware and software.
- Classify a given item as either hardware or software.
- Explain how hardware and software depend on each other.
Warm-Up 5 min
This is your first computer-systems lesson. You use both hardware and software every day on your phone.
Quick starter
Look at the smartphone Aisyah is holding. Which of these can she physically touch?
- The screen
- The battery
- The camera app
Reveal the answer
She can touch the screen and the battery — these are physical parts. WhatsApp and the camera app are programs she cannot touch. That difference is the whole lesson.
Key Concept — hardware and software 14 min
A computer system is built from two parts that work together: the physical parts and the programs that run on them.
If you can pick it up or point at a physical object, it is hardware. If it is a set of instructions or a program, it is software.
They depend on each other
Neither part is useful on its own. They form a partnership:
- Hardware needs software to be useful — a laptop with no programs does nothing.
- Software needs hardware to run — a program cannot run without a CPU and memory.
Some everyday examples
On the school computer in Kuala Lumpur, the monitor and mouse are hardware. The web browser and the operating system are software.
Worked Example — classify each item 12 min
Task: sort the parts of a school computer into hardware or software, and give the reason.
| Item | Hardware or software? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboard | Hardware | A physical part you can touch. |
| RAM | Hardware | A physical memory chip inside the machine. |
| Monitor | Hardware | A physical screen you can touch. |
| Operating system | Software | A program that manages the computer. |
| Web browser | Software | A program you run to view web pages. |
| Maths quiz game | Software | A program made of instructions. |
Try It Yourself 12 min
Goal: List three examples of hardware found in a laptop.
Hint: think of physical parts you could point to or unscrew.
Goal: Classify each item as hardware or software: printer, spreadsheet app, hard drive, antivirus program.
Hint: can you touch it, or is it a program?
Goal: Explain, in two sentences, why a brand-new laptop with no software installed is not yet useful.
📝 Exam Practice 10 min
Answer the way the examiner expects — the command word and the marks tell you how much to write.
Define the term hardware.
Mark scheme
- The physical part(s) / component(s) of a computer (that you can touch) (1).
State whether an operating system is hardware or software.
Mark scheme
- Software (1).
Classify each of the following as hardware or software: keyboard, web browser, RAM, game.
Mark scheme
- Keyboard = hardware and RAM = hardware (1).
- Web browser = software and game = software (1).
Which one of these is an example of software?
- A. Monitor
- B. Hard drive
- C. Photo-editing app
- D. Mouse
Mark scheme
- C — photo-editing app (1). The other three are physical parts.
Recap & Key Terms 3 min
Hardware is the physical part of a computer you can touch. Software is the program that tells the hardware what to do. Each is useless without the other.
- Hardware
- The physical parts of a computer that you can touch, such as the CPU, RAM, hard drive, monitor and keyboard.
- Software
- The programs and instructions that tell the hardware what to do.
Homework 1 min
Task (≤ 15 min): Make a two-column table for your own phone. List four items of hardware and four items of software.
Model answer
Hardware (any four): screen, battery, camera lens, speaker, charging port. Software (any four): operating system, web browser, camera app, messaging app, games.
Award marks for: four correct hardware items (1), four correct software items (1).