Concept:A dielectric reduces the net electric field between capacitor plates, which lowers the effective potential difference for the same stored charge.
Explanation:A dielectric is an insulating material placed between the plates of a capacitor.
When inserted, the dielectric becomes polarized and creates an internal electric field that opposes the original field.
This reduces the net electric field
E inside the capacitor.
Since the potential difference is
V=Ed, a smaller
E produces a lower effective potential for the same plate separation
d.
For a fixed charge
Q on the plates, the capacitance is given by
C=VQ​.
As
V decreases, the capacitance increases according to
C=κC0​, where
κ is the dielectric constant and
C0​ is the capacitance without the dielectric.
Thus, the dielectric does not increase the potential, decrease capacitance, or reduce the plate area.
Answer:Option A: to reduce the effective potential on plates.