ABSTRACT
One of the central tools of scientific computing is the fifty-year old finite element method-a numerical method for approximating solutions to partial differential equations. The finite element method and its cousins, the finite volume method and the boundary element method, simulate physical phenomena including fluid flow, heat transfer, mechanical deformation, and electromagnetic wave propagation. They are applied heavily in industry and science for
marvelously diverse purposes-evaluating pumping strategies for petroleum extraction, modeling the fabrication and operation of transistors and integrated circuits, optimizing the aerodynamics of aircraft and car bodies, and studying phenomena from quantum mechanics to earthquakes to black holes.
