Five fresh Lorentz force demos

10.1119/1.5131139.1 Teaching the Lorentz force, that magnetic fields apply perpendicular forces on moving charges, is often the first lesson of electromagnetism. It is a joy to share this unexpected behavior of magnets. Yet the students do not usually get to handle the apparatus, let alone build it. Typical demonstrations are cathode ray tubes, jumping wires, and possibly a lab using an e/m apparatus. In this article we discuss several other methods by which to provide hands-on demonstrations of the Lorentz force, most with simple equipment, and all that are intriguing and effective.