Final answer:
An Operating System communicates with hardware primarily through software and firmware. Software includes the OS itself and various drivers, while firmware is embedded directly in hardware components. Microprocessors are central to this process, controlling numerous functions within a device.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two things that an Operating System (OS) can use to communicate with hardware are software and firmware. Software includes the operating system itself and the drivers that act as translators between the hardware and the OS. Firmware, on the other hand, is a specialized form of software that is usually embedded in the hardware to control its functions directly.
Integrated circuits, such as microprocessors, play a fundamental role in how computers operate. These circuits contain enormous numbers of transistors on a single piece of silicon, handling digital signals that represent binary code. The microprocessor is a key innovation in these circuits, effectively being a computer processor that performs a wide range of functions.
Microprocessors can be found in various devices, from computers and smartphones to household appliances and vehicles, showing how pervasive computing technology has become since the development of the integrated circuit. Communication between an OS and hardware is principally managed via software-level instructions and firmware, which constitutes the operational code within individual hardware components.