Kind-hearted physicist Kim Sang-wook's special children's physics storybook is here!

The first volume—Volume 0—of Professor Kim Sang‑wook's children's science story series, Physicist Kim Sang‑wook's Mysterious Lab, has just been released. This special installment tells the origin stories of the "Ideas"—physical concepts personified as living beings—alongside the great discoveries made by the scientists who brought them to life. As readers follow the historic breakthroughs that changed the world, they'll naturally encounter the principles of motion, gravity, electricity and magnetism, heat and energy, light and sound, time, and atoms—all woven into captivating narratives. Designed to let kids experience the excitement of discovery before tackling complex formulas, this book makes physics accessible and enjoyable even for children who find it daunting. With Professor Kim's warm guidance and a journey through time, readers will come to realize that physics is not just a school subject, but the most fascinating language for understanding the world.

No more difficult physics—physics made easy.

What comes to mind when you hear the word "physics"? Complicated laws and mind‑bending math? Most people know the formula F=ma, but few truly understand what it means. What about Newton's third law? Or the second law of thermodynamics? At that point, many throw up their hands and ask, "Why do I even need to know this?" But physics isn't locked inside formulas and equations. Physics is in our everyday lives—in fact, everything we experience is physics. As the Korean word for physics (mulli) suggests, it's the li (principle) behind mul (all things in the world). Physicist Kim Sang‑wook's Mysterious Lab unpacks physics stories we encounter every moment through real‑life examples and narrative. Do you believe that something as simple as "seeing letters on a blackboard," "bouncing back to the ground after a jump," or "salt and sugar tasting different" all have physics hidden inside? Join this book and discover the physics alive and breathing all around us.

Meet physics—alive and mischievous.

Physics is invisible, which makes the abstract idea of "physics being alive" hard for children to grasp. To solve this and present physical concepts visually, this series uses the conceit that physical concepts are living, active beings—given the name "Ideas." These Ideas wander around Dr. Kim, Geon‑u, Tae‑ri, and Hae‑na, stirring up trouble and events tied to their own physical principles. Through this series, children will not only naturally learn each physical concept by experiencing the fascinating phenomena the Ideas create, but also come to understand how deeply these concepts are woven into our lives. And with the charming, adorable Idea characters that bring each concept to life, kids will find physics more approachable than ever.

Let pure curiosity unfold through this book.

We encounter science in every moment of our lives—waking to a phone alarm, eating food cooked with appliances, laughing and crying while watching TV. Yet adults often treat science as the domain of experts and academics, even though it is as much a part of modern life as common sense or culture. But what about children? Children are driven by pure curiosity. They try to burn paper with a magnifying glass, or float paper boats on water—without any knowledge of convex lenses or buoyancy. Everything starts with curiosity. If we can nurture and sustain children's natural curiosity about science, turning it into genuine cultural literacy may not be such a stretch. We hope Physicist Kim Sang‑wook's Mysterious Lab will awaken children's curiosity about physics—and go further, motivating them to seek real understanding.

Kim Ha-yeon studied modern literature at Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 in France. She began her writing career by serializing a children's novel in the magazine Gaeddongi's Playground, and now writes for children and young adults. Her books include the children's series Little Superpowers and I Hate Poop School!, as well as the YA novels The House That Crosses Time series, The Truth Only You Don't Know, Jimyung Girls' Middle School Mystery Writing Club, Black Book, and The Lie Only I Know.

Jeong Sun-gyu is a professor of physics at Kyung Hee University. A self-described "kind-hearted physicist," he loves the arts and frequently visits museums. He received his PhD in physics from KAIST and has served as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and as a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo and the University of Innsbruck. His research focuses primarily on quantum science and information physics, and he has published over 70 SCI-indexed papers.

Author Introduction … 2
Editor's Note … 4
Character Introductions … 8
Prologue … 10

Chapter 1. Grumpy but Great … 16
Secret Research Log ①: How We Understand Motion and Gravity

Chapter 2. The Bookbinder Boy Who Illuminated the World … 42
Secret Research Log ②: Unlocking the Secrets of Electricity and Magnetism

Chapter 3. The Man Who Loved Thermometers … 64
Secret Research Log ③: The Changing Views on Heat and Energy

Chapter 4. What Color Does This Look Like to You? … 90
Secret Research Log ④: The World Connected by Light, Sound, and Waves

Chapter 5. The Patent Office Clerk Who Unraveled the Mysteries of Time … 110
Secret Research Log ⑤: The Endless Quest to Understand Time

Chapter 6. A Single Sheet of Paper That Deflected a Cannonball … 132
Secret Research Log ⑥: A Scientist's Gaze into the Atom

Cookie … 154