Editing Partial differential equation (section)

=== Finite element method ===
{{main|Finite element method}}
The finite element method (FEM) (its practical application often known as finite element analysis (FEA)) is a numerical technique for finding approximate solutions of partial differential equations (PDE) as well as of integral equations.<ref>{{cite book |first=P. |last=Solin |title=Partial Differential Equations and the Finite Element Method |publisher=J. Wiley & Sons |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |year=2005 |isbn=0-471-72070-4 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=P. |last1=Solin |first2=K. |last2=Segeth |name-list-style=amp |first3=I. |last3=Dolezel |title=Higher-Order Finite Element Methods |publisher=Chapman & Hall/CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |year=2003 |isbn=1-58488-438-X }}</ref> The solution approach is based either on eliminating the differential equation completely (steady state problems), or rendering the PDE into an approximating system of ordinary differential equations, which are then numerically integrated using standard techniques such as Euler's method, Runge–Kutta, etc.