Next, you need to define the finite-element functions within this newly generated space—in this case u and v. Now that you have all of the background scaffolding built, you need to define your problem ...

This article originally posted on May 18, 2016. It was updated on May 31, 2024. The finite-element, finite-difference and finite-volume methods—FEM, FDM and FVM, respectively—are numerical ...

The next step uses the finite-element method to find an approximation u_FE of the exact solution u_EX. This involves selecting a mesh and elements such as 2D plates, eight-node bricks, p-elements ...