Computer systems - AQAHardware and software

At the simplest level, computers are little more than a collection of transistors and circuits. They connect together to form logic gates, which in turn are used to form logic circuits.

Part ofComputer ScienceTheoretical knowledge

Hardware and software

Computer systems consist of and . Hardware is the physical components of the computer, such as the central processing unit (CPU), hard disk, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Software is the programs that run on a computer.

A computer system requires both hardware and software to function. Aside from the internal components of a computer, additional hardware allows the user to communicate with the system through and . The table below shows some examples of input and output hardware.

Input deviceOutput device
MouseScreen
KeyboardSpeakers
CameraPrinter
MicrophoneLEDs
Input deviceMouse
Output deviceScreen
Input deviceKeyboard
Output deviceSpeakers
Input deviceCamera
Output devicePrinter
Input deviceMicrophone
Output deviceLEDs

Here is a way to visualise the process from input to output:

Central processing unit with input, process, output and secondary storage

The software in a computer system enables the hardware to function and the user to perform tasks.

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