Hardware and Software

The following table highlights the points that differentiate a hardware from a software.

Hardware	Software
It is the physical component of a computer system.	It is the programming language that makes hardware functional.
It has the permanent shape and structure, which cannot be modified.	It can be modified and reused, as it has no permanent shape and structure.
The external agents such as dust, mouse, insects, humidity, heat, etc. can affect the hardware (as it is tangible).	The external agents such as dust, mouse, insects, humidity, heat, etc. cannot affect (as it is not tangible).
It works with binary code (i.e., 1’s to 0’s) .	It functions with the help of high level language like COBOL, BASIC, JAVA, etc.
It takes in only machine language, i.e., lower level language.	It takes in higher level language, easily readable by a human being.
It is not affected by the computer bug or virus.	It is affected by the computer bug or virus.
It cannot be transferred from one place to other electronically.	It can transfer from one place to other electronically.
Duplicate copy of hardware cannot be created.	A user can create copies of a software as many as he wishes.