The course of our world is determined by forces. The gravitational force holds our Earth and the planets in their orbits in the solar system. The Lorenz force turns the electric motor in our e-bike. And strong forces act in the nuclei of atoms, which are released during nuclear reactions. One important task in physics is to measure forces in order to track down undiscovered interactions. A particularly sensitive tool for measuring forces are microscopic particles captured with laser beams. In this lecture, the audience will gain a basic understanding of the measurement process to study a force. It learns about the efforts of a community of researchers who want to use laser traps to test the limits of our physical understanding. In order to carry out their experiments, they have to develop sensors for extremely small forces. These tools give us a better understanding of what holds our world together.