The Fairy Tale Physics series teaches foundational physics concepts through fantasy adventure stories for ages 10-12.

Each book begins with a story and includes explanations of the real-world physics for anyone who’s curious, plus some practice problems!

I wrote these for my students, wanting physics to feel as fun and applicable to the real world as I've always found it to be.

The approach I take here is based on my 20 years of tutoring, my physics degree, and my master's in cognitive psychology.

It has been so cool to hear about people using these books in their classrooms, and I wanted to make this PDF bundle available for anyone wanting a printable format that's also more affordable for classroom use.

Feel free to use one set with all your students.

This bundle includes these four books in PDF form:

Newton's Laws

Did you know that a spaceship would only need to fire its rockets to speed up, slow down, or turn, but could otherwise just coast through space?

It's true! Because of Newton's very famous but often misunderstood first law, pushes or pulls are only required to speed up, slow down, or turn. Not to travel at a constant speed (unless there's another force, like friction, that you have to overcome!)

Learn all the subtle intricacies of Newton's Three Laws along with Kip, a young boy who is given only a single apple with which to make his fortune. He meets a quirky wizard named Newton who is off to the capital, hoping to become king. Together, they discover the three laws of motion and save the kingdom from Newton's arch nemesis.

Topics covered:

• Newton's Three Laws
• Free Body Diagrams

Fluid Mechanics

If you were offered two crowns, could you figure out which was made of solid gold?

This is the classic riddle Archimedes is said to have solved in his bathtub. And Queen Elise will have to solve it, too, as she goes on a quest to save her kingdom from the trickster wizard her father cheated long ago.

Topics covered:

• Archimedes' Principle
• Buoyancy
• Flow Rate
• Pressure

Light

Did you know that the light we see is made of the same stuff as radio waves? Or that it sometimes acts like water?

Neither did King John! All he wanted was to fight dragons, dodge protesters' potatoes, and not bring too much shame upon his many famous ancestors.

But two dark secrets haunt his kingdom, and with the help of the ghosts of famous scientists, including Einstein, he must learn real physics to restore light and truth to his kingdom.

Topics covered:

• The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Wavelength & Frequency
• Color
• Reflection & Refraction
• Young’s Double-Slit Experiment
• De Broglie Wavelength

Gravity

What would happen if you jumped into a tunnel that went straight through the center of the Earth?

That's exactly what Worry is about to find out! Her sister Hope has been kidnapped by a dragon and Worry is determined to bring her home. To do so, she'll travel from the center of her planet to the surface of a nearby moon, learning about gravity with help from the echoes of Aristotle, Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and Einstein.

Topics covered:

• Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
• Circles and Ellipses
• How Orbits Work
• Tides and Planetary Motion
• Pendulums
• Logical Reasoning and Syllogisms
• A Short History of Gravity, from Aristotle to Einstein