Which of the following pairs of components constitutes the computer side of information systems?
A hardware and software
B people and procedures
C data and hardware
D software and data
E data and memory
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) hardware and software.
In information systems, the computer side of the system includes components that deal directly with processing, storage, and manipulation of data. These components typically involve hardware and software.
- Hardware refers to the physical devices that make up a computer system. This includes the central processing unit (CPU), memory units, storage devices (such as hard drives or solid-state drives), input devices (like keyboards and mice), and output devices (like monitors and printers). These devices provide the necessary infrastructure for data processing, storage, and retrieval.
- Software consists of the programs and operating systems that instruct the hardware on how to perform tasks. The operating system manages the hardware resources and allows software applications to execute, while application software helps users perform specific tasks, such as word processing, database management, or web browsing.
Together, hardware and software form the core technological infrastructure of an information system. Hardware provides the physical resources needed for data processing, while software provides the instructions and user interfaces to manage and utilize the data. Without both components, an information system would not be able to function effectively.
The other options refer to other aspects of an information system, such as people and procedures, which are part of the organizational side of the system, and data, which represents the raw facts and figures that are processed by the system. Memory is a type of hardware that stores data temporarily but doesn’t make up the full “computer side” as it only focuses on one aspect (storage).
Thus, hardware and software together are the main components of the computer side of an information system.