A liberal education should develop in students a knowledge of past and present attempts to identify the material composition and mathematical structure of the physical world and universe and the forces that govern their interaction. Such knowledge is crucial to understanding the environment in which we live and inspiring the technologies we have developed to navigate and function in that environment. Courses in this category should introduce students to the concepts, facts, and theoretical principles of the mathematical and physical sciences and help students relate them to their lives as citizens and apply them to contemporary problems.