When a charged particle travels through a magnetic field, it experiences a force unlike any other that we're familiar with in everyday life. To illustrate the point, envision yourself walking down the sidewalk, when all of a sudden, a strong gust of wind hits you from the side. Now imagine that instead of moving sideways, you shoot straight up to the sky. I know this sounds weird, but this is exactly what would happen if you were a charged particle and the wind was a magnetic field. In this lesson, we're going to talk about the factors that determine the strength and direction of this force.