ABSTRACT
The finite element method finds important applications in the field of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), where it is used to solve the equations of fluid flow consisting of Cauchy’s equation of motion and the continuity equation. The former expresses Newton’s second law of motion for a small fluid parcel idealized as an infinitesimal point particle, and the latter ensures mass conservation. The primary unknowns are the velocity and pressure established in response to boundary motion, a body force, or a prescribed pressure drop.
