A computer program is

A computer program is

• A. A set of instructions translated into commands a computer can understand.
• B. A physical device.
• C. A type of hardware.
• D. A user manual.

Answer: (A)

Software is a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do. A program is precisely that—written instructions that, after being translated by a compiler or interpreter, become commands the CPU can execute. This translation into machine or intermediate code is what allows the hardware to carry out the tasks described by the software. So the program is not a physical device or hardware, and it isn’t a user manual or other documentation; it’s the sequence of executable instructions that directs the computer’s actions.

Software is a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do. A program is precisely that—written instructions that, after being translated by a compiler or interpreter, become commands the CPU can execute. This translation into machine or intermediate code is what allows the hardware to carry out the tasks described by the software. So the program is not a physical device or hardware, and it isn’t a user manual or other documentation; it’s the sequence of executable instructions that directs the computer’s actions.