Hardware refers to the physical, tangible components of a computer or electronic device that you can see and touch. It includes internal parts essential for the computer's operation, such as the central processing unit (CPU), motherboard, random-access memory (RAM), hard drives, and graphics cards, as well as external devices like monitors, keyboards, mice, and printers

. Hardware is distinct from software, which consists of the intangible instructions and programs that tell the hardware what to do. The hardware executes these instructions to perform tasks and produce output, making hardware and software complementary elements of a computing system

. In summary, hardware is the physical foundation of a computer system, enabling the software to run and the device to function properly