Hello, my name is Jim Mihal. I've taught at MATC (Milwaukee Area Technical College) since 1976 in the departments of Natural Science and Math. Since 2000, I've developed and written most of the curriculum for this course. It is a new way to learn science by exploring items and devices all around you. An alternate title for this class could be "How Things Work" because it focuses on many of the things we commonly use each and every day, but tend to take for granted. I've found that, in general, most people have a very poor understanding about the science behind the workings of common items and devices ... a situation I hope I can remedy - one student at a time. I hope you will enjoy exploring the world around you and gain a deeper appreciation of science as well as how the science is applied to provide us with the technology that makes our lives easier.

NatSci 10-806-167 is a three credit general science class of post secondary level. There are no prerequisites and very little math is involved on your part. In September 2007, NatSci 10-806-167 was adopted statewide in the science curriculum for the 16 district Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS).

About this online textbook

This online textbook represents a continuing effort to expand and improve the content of the class. I tend to present ideas and concepts in a descriptive context. Throughout the course, I try to provide links to relevant pages which gives you an opportunity to learn from other sources and/or provide insight. The materials I provide are copyrighted.