Why is hardware different from software?

Hardware in a computer is any physical device, something that you are able to touch. For example, computer monitors and a computer’s mouse are all hardware.

Hardware is usually enclosed in a case or chassis. Software, on the other hand, is a collection of instructions and codes installed into the computer that cannot be touched. For example, an internet browser and the internet itself constitute software.   

Software can be divided into two groups- system software for operating systems, and application software like word processing, and computer games.

To sum up, we can say that a CD or pen drive is hardware, while the program which is loaded in the CD or pen drive is software.