6. Differentiate between:
i. Input device and output device
ii. Hardware and software
Answer (1)
To understand the question, let's break down the differences between each set of terms.
Input Device and Output Device
Input Device: An input device is any hardware component used to provide data and control signals to a computer or another electronic information processing system. Examples include keyboards, mice, scanners, and microphones. These devices are utilized to input data into the system for processing.
Output Device: An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by a computer to the outside world. Examples include monitors, printers, and speakers. They are responsible for taking processed data from the computer and displaying or presenting it in a way that is understandable to the user.
Hardware and Software
Hardware: Hardware refers to the tangible, physical components of a computer system. This includes things like the central processing unit (CPU), hard drives, RAM, graphics cards, and the aforementioned input and output devices. Hardware is what you can physically touch and see.
Software: Software is the set of instructions or programs that tell the hardware what to do. This includes operating systems like Windows or macOS, applications like Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop, and programming languages like Python or Java. Unlike hardware, software is intangible and consists of code and data.
Understanding these terms is essential because they form the basic building blocks of how computers operate and interact with users. Each plays a distinct role in the computing process, working together to enable the functionality and performance we rely on for various tasks.
