The First Step to the Finite Element Method(FEM)

Abstract

The Finite Element Method (FEM) is one of the most popular numerical methods in structural analyses. This article aims to explain the most basic concept of FEM to beginners. The emphasis is on how FEM reduces the differential equations of a continuum to a system of linear equations of finite degrees of freedom. After an explanation using a simple example of one-dimensional problem, extensions to multidimensional problems are briefly described.