What are the advantages and disadvantege of capacitors?

Answer 1

Capacitors are very good for storing small quantities of electrical energy, for creating timing circuits based on the time it takes a capacitor to charge, and there are also excellent uses of their characteristic of conducting a varying voltage.

Answer 2

Capacitors and batteries share a characteristic in that they can both store energy. A battery can store a lot of energy in a small space compared to a capacitor but a capacitor can be charged to it's maximum voltage much faster, in fact, a capacitor can change from discharged to fully charged in fractions of a second. Compare that to most batteries that have a charge cycle time measured in minutes or hours.

A capacitor doesn't hold a charge in the same way that a battery does. Most capacitors will discharge themselves in a period of minutes to days compared to a battery that will retain a charge for months or years.

So, to power a device that uses minimal current for short periods of time with an almost instant recharge period, a capacitor is well worth considering.

Note: Apologies to the theoretical scientists for the not entirely accurate comparisons of the charges.