What would you classify a physical device used for computing?

The classification of a physical device used for computing as hardware is accurate because hardware refers to the tangible components of a computer system that you can physically touch and see. This includes devices such as keyboards, mice, monitors, printers, and the internal parts of a computer like the motherboard, CPU, and RAM. Hardware is essential for the functioning of software, which consists of programs and applications that run on these physical devices.

The other classifications, such as software, firmware, and middleware, involve non-physical elements. Software is a set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do, but it cannot be touched or held. Firmware is a type of software that is embedded into hardware devices; it acts as the intermediary that controls how the hardware behaves but is also not a physical component. Middleware refers to software that connects different applications or services, again, emphasizing the non-physical aspect. Hence, the distinction clearly points to hardware as the correct classification for a physical computing device.