Which term describes the non-physical set of instructions that tells hardware what to do?

Which term describes the non-physical set of instructions that tells hardware what to do?

• A. Hardware
• B. Software
• C. Firmware
• D. Middleware

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that software is the non-physical set of instructions that tell hardware what to do. Software consists of programs and data—the intangible code that guides a computer’s operations, from running applications to managing system tasks. It lives outside the physical components and is executed by the hardware to perform desired actions. Hardware refers to the actual physical parts you can touch, like the CPU, memory, and disks. Middleware is software that helps different applications communicate or work with each other and with the system software, but it isn’t the direct set of instructions that tells hardware what to do. Firmware is a specialized form of software embedded in a device to control its low-level operations; it’s still software, but it’s tightly bound to the hardware it resides in. The broad, correct term for the described concept is software.

The main idea is that software is the non-physical set of instructions that tell hardware what to do. Software consists of programs and data—the intangible code that guides a computer’s operations, from running applications to managing system tasks. It lives outside the physical components and is executed by the hardware to perform desired actions.

Hardware refers to the actual physical parts you can touch, like the CPU, memory, and disks. Middleware is software that helps different applications communicate or work with each other and with the system software, but it isn’t the direct set of instructions that tells hardware what to do. Firmware is a specialized form of software embedded in a device to control its low-level operations; it’s still software, but it’s tightly bound to the hardware it resides in. The broad, correct term for the described concept is software.