Trusted since 2008
LoginRegister
Study resources on Kenyaplex

Get ready-made curriculum aligned revision materials

Exam papers, notes, holiday assignments and topical questions – all aligned to the Kenyan curriculum.

Browse exam papers
Or go directly to:
Class notes Holiday assignments Topical questions Other resources

Differentiate between the following terms:(i.) Hardware and software;(ii.) Application software and system software;(iii.) Bit and byte; (iv.) RAM and ROM;...

Differentiate between the following terms:
(i.) Hardware and software;
(ii.) Application software and system software;
(iii.) Bit and byte;
(iv.) RAM and ROM;
(v.) Data and information.

Answers

gregory
i) Hardware vs.
software Hardware
This refers to the physical, tangible computer equipment and devices which provide support
for major functions such as input, processing (internal storage, computation and control),
output, secondary storage (for data and programs), and communication. Examples are the
monitor, keyboard, CPU, mouse, etc
Software
This refers to the invisible, intangible components of a computer that direct and control the
operations of hardware when processing data. Examples are operating systems e.g. Windows
XP, system utilities e.g. Norton antivirus, application programs e.g. Microsoft Word, etc
(ii) Application vs. system software
Application software This refers to programs designed to help end users to solve particular problems using the
computer or to perform specific tasks. Examples are word processors e.g. Microsoft Word,
spreadsheets e.g. Microsoft Excel, database management software e.g. Microsoft Access, etc
System software
This refers to programs that coordinate the activities of hardware and other programs.
Examples are operating systems such as Windows XP, Linux and Unix and utilities such as
disk defragmenters and antiviral programs
(iii) Bit vs. Byte
Bit
This refers to a binary digit used to represent data in a digital computer. A bit may be
a ?0? ora ?1?.
Byte
This refers to a combination of 8 bits used to represent characters (e.g. the letter
=A‘) in a digital computer.
(iv) RAM vs.
ROM RAM
This stands for Random Access Memory. Its content can be read and changed and is the
working area of the user. It‘s used to hold programs and data during processing.
RAM chips are volatile i.e. they loose their contents if power is disrupted.
ROM
This stands for Read Only Memory. Its contents can be read and cannot be changed. ROM
chips are non-volatile, so the contents aren‘t lost if the power is disrupted.
(v) Data vs. Information
Data
This refers to basic facts e.g. the number of items sold by a business, the name of a customer,
a line of text or the numerical values used in mathematical formulae.
Information
This refers to data which has been converted into a more useful and meaningful form via
processing e.g. a list of all the customers of an organization could be sorted to produce a list
of customers who are in debt to the organization.
gregorymasila answered the question on November 23, 2017 at 12:57

Answer Attachments

Next: Explain the cleansing of the temple

Previous: Examine two disadvantages of using direct access storage devices

View more Computer Science Questions and Answers  |  Return to Questions Index

Exams With Marking Schemes

Related Questions