A charged ball B hangs from a silk thread S, which makes an angle θ with a large charged conducting sheet P, as shown in the figure. The surface charge density σ of the sheet is proportional to
Balancing the forces in the horizontal direction we get,
T sin θ=qE..............(i)
and in the vertical direction we get,
T cos θ=mg.............(ii)
Dividing (i) by (ii) we get,
⇒tan θ=qEmg=qmg(σ2πϵ0)
Since electric field due to a large charged conducting sheet is σ2πϵ0.
⇒σ∝ tan θ.