• Texas A&M University

• ENGR 217

LAB 5: LORENTZ FORCE Michael Raabe Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843, US. Abstract This report covers the general theory behind Lorentz Force. Through conducting this experiment, we can gain a better understanding of how a current-carrying wire can exert an outward force on its surroundings. In this lab, we apply several different currents through a coil and observe how the force changes based on those different current values. Keywords: Current, Lorentz Force, Magnetic Field 1. Introduction The goal of this lab is to gain a better understanding of the Lorentz force and how a differing current can have an affect on its magnitude. To understand this lab, you need to have a basic understanding of what the Lorentz force is and how it interacts with its surroundings. You will need to understand how to interpret graphical data as well. Some major equations that will be used within this experiment are F = nILB and we are also assuming that the load cells have a linear response. This gives the following equation: 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 = (𝐶1)(𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒) + 𝐶2 2. Experimental Procedure For the calibration part of this lab, we first placed the orange apparatus underneath the coil. We then plugged channel 1 of the power supply into the coil. We plugged the positive terminal into the right side of the coil and the negative terminal into the left side of the coil to create a clockwise current. We then edited the “daq_to_csv_with_input.py” file. We changed the channels to 4 and 5, the number of points to 15, and changed the output filename to “calibration.” We then launched “daq_to_csv_with_input.py.” We defined the independent variable as mass in grams and began taking measurements. We first took a measurement with no weight placed on the orange apparatus and then we added weight in 20g increments. After each addition, we took a measurement. We repeated this until data collection was complete and saved the output file to the computer. We also removed all weight from the orange apparatus. For the second part of this experiment, we had to edit “daq_to_csv_with_input.py” again. We changed the points to 10 and the output filename to “current.” We then launched the file. We defined the independent variable as current in amps and began taking measurements. We started at 0 A and went to .225 A in .025 A increments with the voltage set to 6V in channel 1 of the power supply. We saved the outpu