ABSTRACT
Methods for the study of weakly nonlinear continuous (distributed-parameter) systems are discussed. Approximate solution procedures based on discretization via the Galerkin method are contrasted with direct application of the method of multiple scales to the governing partial-differential equations and boundary conditions. By means of several examples, it is shown that discretization of nonlinear continuous systems can lead to erroneous results if the discretization is not performed by using a complete set of basis functions that satisfy the boundary conditions.
