Finite Elements: An Introduction to the Method and Error Estimation

Most books on finite elements are devoted either to mathematical theory or to engineering applications--but not to both. Finite Elements: An Introduction to the Method and Error Estimation, by Ivo Babuska, John J. Whiteman, and Theofanis Strouboulis, seeks to bridge this gap by presenting the main theoretical ideas of the finite element method and the analysis of its errors in an accessible way. At the same time, it also presents computed numbers, which not only illustrate the theory but can only be analyzed using the theory. This approach, both dual and interacting between theory and computation makes this book unique.

Much research is currently being done into reliability in computational modelling, involving both validation of the mathematical models and verification of the numerical schemes. By treating finite element error analysis in this way this book is a significant contribution to the verification process of finite element modelling in the context of reliability.

Ivo Babuska is the Robert B. Trull Chair in Engineering and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Texas at Austin.

John Whiteman is Distinguished Professor and Director of BICOM, Institute of Computational Mathematics, at Brunel University.

Theofanis Strouboulis is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.