Book excerpt: THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD : Basic Concepts and ApplicationsDarrell Pepper, Advanced Projects Research, Inc. California, and Dr . JuanHeinrich, University of Arizona, TucsonTh i s introductory textbook is designed for use in undergraduate, graduate, andshort courses in structural engineering and courses devoted specifically to thefinite element method. This method is rapidly becoming the most widely usedstandard for numerical approximation for partial differential equations definingengineering and scientific problems.The authors present a simplified approach to introducing the method and a coherentand easily digestible explanation of detailed mathematical derivations andtheory Example problems are included and can be worked out manually Anaccompanying floppy disk compiling computer codes is included and required forsome of the multi-dimensional homework problems.