The correct answer is: B. capacity of the charged conductor.
The presence of an uncharged conductor near a charged one increases the capacity of the charged conductor because the uncharged conductor can be polarized by the electric field of the charged conductor. This polarization causes the uncharged conductor to develop an induced charge, which increases the total charge that can be stored on the system of two conductors.
The charge of the charged conductor does not change, and the potential of the charged conductor may increase or decrease depending on the specific situation.
Here is a more detailed explanation of each option:
- A. charge of the charged conductor. The charge of a conductor is determined by the number of excess electrons it has. The presence of an uncharged conductor near a charged one does not change the number of excess electrons on the charged conductor, so the charge of the charged conductor does not change.
- B. capacity of the charged conductor. The capacity of a conductor is determined by its ability to store charge. The presence of an uncharged conductor near a charged one increases the capacity of the charged conductor because the uncharged conductor can be polarized by the electric field of the charged conductor. This polarization causes the uncharged conductor to develop an induced charge, which increases the total charge that can be stored on the system of two conductors.
- C. potential of the charged conductor. The potential of a conductor is determined by the amount of work required to move a unit charge from infinity to the conductor. The presence of an uncharged conductor near a charged one may increase or decrease the potential of the charged conductor depending on the specific situation. For example, if the uncharged conductor is placed close to the charged conductor, the electric field of the charged conductor will be stronger near the uncharged conductor. This will cause the potential of the uncharged conductor to be lower than the potential of the charged conductor. However, if the uncharged conductor is placed far away from the charged conductor, the electric field of the charged conductor will be weaker near the uncharged conductor. This will cause the potential of the uncharged conductor to be higher than the potential of the charged conductor.