5. What is the difference between Physical Machine and Virtual Machine? Answer: A Physical Machine is a real, hardware-based computer or server. It has dedicated resources like CPU, RAM, and storage, and runs directly on the hardware. It usually requires more cost, space, and maintenance. A Virtual Machine (VM) is a software-based computer that runs on top of a physical machine using virtualization technology. Multiple VMs can run on a single physical server, sharing its resources. VMs are more flexible, cost-effective, and can be created or removed quickly. In short: Physical machine = real hardware Virtual machine = software-based system running inside hardware