Which of the following best describes hardware in a computer?

The best description of hardware in a computer is the reference to the physical components of the computer. Hardware includes all the tangible parts that you can touch and see, such as the CPU, motherboard, memory (RAM), hard drives, and peripherals like keyboards and monitors. These elements are essential for the computer to function, as they provide the necessary structures and interfaces for computing processes and interactions with software.

In contrast, software programs are non-physical; they consist of the code and instructions that run on the hardware to perform tasks. Virtual resources, which are not physically tangible, refer to elements that the operating system manages, such as virtual memory. Data storage solutions are specific components or devices for storing data, such as hard drives or SSDs, but do not encompass the full range of physical components that make up the entire system. Therefore, the correct choice highlights the importance of hardware as the foundational physical structure of a computer.