The matrix approach

It is not a coincidence that the finite element method blossomed at the time when computers were being developed, because it calls for a vast amount of computation for a problem of even modest size. It requires the assembly and solution of a large system of linear equations and, in addition, benefits from the computer’s ability to present data graphically both to verify the problem structure and to display the solution. This chapter is about the way the computer organises the method and needs the language of matrices.