The computer is a tool. It requires both hardware and software for it to do anything useful. Without the software, the computer is little more than a very expensive paperweight.

Software is a series of instructions; a specific set of instructions to carry out a given task is termed a program.

While programs are written in a variety of "languages," when the computer actually runs the program, it's been reduced to a series of ones and zeros (binary instructions) that the hardware has been built to understand.

Programmer's job: Convert user needs into a set of instructions for the computer to execute.

Programming Process