Question

During class, I shared an analogy in which computer hardware was represented by ________, and software was represented by _________.

A. oil, water
B. politicians, voters
C. an automobile, the steering wheel
D. myself, my wife
E. students, faculty

Answer 1

The analogy that represents computer hardware by an automobile and software by the steering wheel most accurately differentiates between the two, likening the physical components of the computer to a car's body and the software to how a steering wheel controls the car.

Step-by-step explanation:

The analogy intending to differentiate computer hardware from software would most appropriately be 'An automobile (hardware) and the steering wheel (software).' Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer system, like the engine, wheels, and body of a car. Software, on the other hand, is the instructions and data that tell the computer hardware what to do, akin to how a steering wheel controls the direction of a car. This comparison illustrates the physical level as seen by an engineer, where all activity within the computer is a series of electronic changes. The design level, from a programmer's perspective, is akin to the machine running a program. Lastly, the commonsense level is how typical users perceive the computer's functions, such as word processing or solving equations.