Example 22.

7: Field of an infinite plane sheet of charge

Find the electric field caused by a thin, flat, infinite sheet on which there is a uniform positive
charge per unit area σ.

Solution
We will use Gauss’s law to find the electric field of an infinite flat charged sheet. The field must point away
from the positive charges and the system has planar symmetry. Figure 1 illustrates geometry of the problem:

E =0

E =E
E
E
area A

charged Gaussian
sheet surface

Fig. 1. Calculating the electric field of an infinite flat charged sheet. A cylindrical Gaussian
surface with base area A and axis perpendicular to the charged sheet is used to find the
field.

Planar symmetry means that the charge distribution does not change if we slide it in any direction parallel
to the sheet. From this, we conclude that the electric field E must be perpendicular to the sheet at each
point. In addition, the magnitude E of the electric field must be constant at a given distance from the sheet
on either side of the sheet. We can make use of these symmetry properties and apply Gauss’s law to a
cylindric Gaussian surface with arbitrary base area A and its axis perpendicular to the charged sheet (see
Fig. 1). We assume that the charged sheet cuts the cylinder into two equal parts so that both cylinder bases
have the same distance from the sheet.
Gauss’s law
Qencl
ΦE =
0
requires calculating the total electric flux ΦE through the surface of the cylinder:
 
ΦE =  
E · dA = E⊥ dA
cylinder cylinder

where E⊥ is the component of the electric field perpendicular to surface element dA. Let us divide the above
integral for ΦE into three integrals over the left and right bases of the cylinder and the cylinder side walls:
   
ΦE = E⊥ dA = E⊥ dA + E⊥ dA + E⊥ dA
cylinder left base right base side walls

1
  is
As illustrated by Fig. 1, there is no flux through the side walls of the cylinder because the electric field E
parallel to the side walls and, consequently, E⊥ = 0 at the side walls. Thus, the total electric flux must be
equal to the flux through the left and right bases of the cylinder.
The electric field E is uniform at both cylinder bases, perpendicular to the bases, and it points out of the
 

surface so that E⊥ = E  = E. Thus, the total flux ΦE becomes
   
ΦE = E⊥ dA + E⊥ dA = E dA + E dA = EA + EA = 2EA (1)
left base right base left base right base

In order to apply Gauss’s law, we need to know the total charge Qencl enclosed by the cylindric Gaussian
surface with base areas A. In our case of a charged planar sheet with the uniform charge per unit area σ

Qencl = σA. (2)

Combining Eqs. (1) and (2) then gives

σA
ΦE = 2EA =
0
and, consequently,
σ
E= . (3)
20
We see that the resulting electric field of an infinite planar charged sheet is uniform, perpendicular to the
sheet, and independent of the distance from the sheet. This is the same result that we obtained in Example
21.12 for the electric field of a uniformly charged finite disk in the limit of disk radius a being much greater
than the distance x from the disk to the field point. However, calculations based on Gauss’s law applied to
a problem with high symmetry were much simpler. Equation (3) holds for any value of σ; for σ > 0, the
electric field is directed away from the sheet on both sides and for σ < 0, the electric field points towards
the sheet on both sides.

Note
In the real physical world, infinitely large charged sheets do not exist. However, Eq. (3) is a very good
approximation for realistic charged sheets of finite dimensions (such as those found in capacitors), as long
as the distance from the point in which we evaluate the electric field to the charged sheet is much smaller
than the sheet dimensions and we are located sufficiently far away from the sheet edges. At such points, the
electric field is very nearly uniform and perpendicular to the sheet. This is also consistent with our results
found in Example 21.12.