A cylindrical conductor is placed near another positively charged conductor. The net charge acquired by the cylindrical conductor will be

Options

A. positive onluy
B. negative only
C. zero
D. either positive or negative

Explanation

To determine the net charge acquired by a cylindrical conductor placed near a positively charged conductor, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Scenario**: We have a cylindrical conductor placed near a positively charged conductor (which we can assume to be a positively charged sphere for simplicity).

2. **Induction Process**: When a conductor is placed in the electric field of another charged conductor, electrostatic induction occurs. This means that the charges within the cylindrical conductor will redistribute themselves due to the influence of the external electric field created by the positively charged conductor.

3. **Charge Redistribution**:
- The positive charge of the nearby conductor will attract negative charges from the cylindrical conductor towards the side of the cylinder that is closest to the positively charged conductor.
- As a result, the side of the cylindrical conductor facing the positively charged conductor will acquire a negative charge (let's denote this as -q).
- Conversely, the side of the cylindrical conductor that is farthest from the positively charged conductor will have a deficiency of electrons, resulting in a net positive charge (let's denote this as +q).

4. **Net Charge Calculation**:
- The total charge on the cylindrical conductor remains the same, as the conductor is neutral overall. The negative charge on one side (-q) and the positive charge on the other side (+q) will balance each other out.
- Therefore, when we calculate the net charge acquired by the cylindrical conductor, we find that the total charge is:
\[ \text{Net Charge} = (-q) + (+q) = 0 \]

5. **Conclusion**: The net charge acquired by the cylindrical conductor due to the presence of the positively charged conductor is zero.

### Final Answer:
The net charge acquired by the cylindrical conductor will be **zero**.