How Computers Work: Hardware and Software
From Code.org: CS Fundamentals
5 min3rd4th5th6thTechnology
Summary
The closing episode of the series draws the line between hardware (the physical parts you can touch) and software (the instructions and programs that tell the hardware what to do) -- tying the whole "How Computers Work" series together.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
This video explains the difference between hardware (physical parts) and software (programs and instructions).
- What is the difference between hardware and software?
- Name one piece of hardware and one piece of software you used today.
- Can software run without any hardware? Why or why not?
- Which idea from this whole video series was the most surprising to you?
Quick work-a-long
Words to know: hardware, software, instructions.
Try it: Sort five things you use on a device (like a keyboard, a game app, a screen, a calculator app, a mouse) into two lists: hardware and software.