Question

Rami uses a disposable camera that has a flash. When he wants to take a picture, he holds a button and hears a rising whining sound. When a small light glows, the flash is ready. He presses the shutter button, the flash lights up, and he takes his picture.
Which statement best describes how a capacitor is useful in the camera?

It protects the circuits from a burst of energy by storing charge.
It protects the circuits from a steady current by storing charge.
It stores energy and delivers it in a short burst.
It stores energy and delivers it in a steady current.

Answer 1

It stores energy and delivers it in a short burst.

The whirring sound is produced by the charging of the capacitor. A capacitor is an electrical component which is capable of storing charge. When the capacitor stores charge, it is storing energy. After doing so, the capacitor releases the electrical energy that it had stored as light energy, which is seen as the flash of the camera. It must do so in a burst, because the intensity of the flash is very high and would require a high amount of energy to maintain.