David V. Kalbaugh received his B.S. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1967; M.S. from Stanford University in 1968; and doctorate from University of Maryland in 1974. He was exposed to many practical problems across engineering and physics at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he eventually retired as Assistant Director in 2005. Dr. Kalbaugh developed this text while teaching both engineering courses and differential equations as an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore from 2008-2014. UMES achieved ABET accreditation of its engineering program in August 2013.