Which statement best defines hardware?

• A. The physical components you can touch
• B. Data stored in memory
• C. The programs and applications that run on a computer
• D. The instructions executed by the CPU

Answer: (A)

Hardware means the physical parts of a computer—things you can touch, like the motherboard, processor, memory modules, storage drives, and peripherals. This is why the statement about physical components fits best: it describes the tangible, material aspect of a computer.

Data stored in memory is information, not a physical part. Programs and applications are sets of instructions and resources—software that runs on the hardware. The instructions executed by the CPU are the commands software uses to perform tasks; they are data and control signals, not the hardware itself.