A M I X E D F I N I T E E L E M E N T ~,~THOD

F O R 2~nd O R D E R E L L I P T I C P R O B L E M S
P.A. R a v i a r t and J . M T h o m a s
I. I N T R O D U C T I O N
Let ~ be a b o u n d e d open s u b s e t of R n w i t h a L i p s h i t z c o n t i n u o u s
b o u n d a r y F. We c o n s i d e r the 2nd o r d e r e l l i p t i c m o d e l p r o b l e m
(I .I)
I
-Au = f in ~ ,
u = 0 oh F ,
w h e r e f is a g i v e n f u n c t i o n of the space L2 (~). A v a r i a t i o n a l f o r m of
p r o b l e m (1.1), k n o w n as the complementary energy principle, c o n s i s t s
in f i n d i n g p = g r a d u w h i c h m i n i m i z e s t h e complementary energy functi 2
nal
(1.2) ~(q)~ = y I~I ~ d x
n
over the affine m a n i f o l d W of v e c t o r - v a l u e d f u n c t i o n s ~ @ (L 2 (~))n
%
w h i c h s a t i s f y the equilibrium equation
(1.3) d i v ~ + f = 0 in ~.
The u s e of c o m p l e m e n t a r y e n e r g y p r i n c i p l e for c o n s t r u c t i n g finite
e l e m e n t d i s c r e t i z a t i o n s of e l l i p t i c p r o b l e m s has b e e n f i r s t a d v o c a t e d
by F r a e i j s de V e u b e k e [51, [6],|7] . T h e s o - c a l l e d equilibrium method
c o n s i s t s first in c o n s t r u c t i n g a f i n i t e - d i m e n s i o n a l s u b m a n i f o l d ~ h of
W~ and t h e n in f i n d i n g ~h 6 ~ h w h i c h m i n i m i z e s the c o m p l e m e n t a r y e n e r g y
f u n c t i o n a l I(q) o v e r the a f f i n e m a n i f o l d %~h. For 2nd o r d e r e l l i p t i c
problems, the n u m e r i c a l a n a l y s i s of the e q u i l i b r i u m m e t h o d has b e e n
C e n t r e de M a t h ~ m a t i q u e s A p p l i q u ~ e s , E c o l e P o l y t e c h n i q u e and U n i v e ~
sit~ de Paris VI.
~ U n i v e r s i t ~ de Paris VI.
2 9 3
made by T h o m a s [19],[20].
Now, we note that the p r a c t i c a l c o n s t r u c t i o n of the s u b m a n i f o l d
~h is not in g e n e r a l a simple p t o b l e m since it r e q u i r e s a s e a r c h for
e x p l i c i t s o l u t i o n s of the e q u i l i b r i u m e q u a t i o n (1.3) in the w h o l e
d o m a i n ~.
In o r d e r to a v o i d the above d i f f i c u l t y , we can use a more g e n e r a l
v a r i a t i o n a l p r i n c i p l e , k n o w n in e l a s t i c i t y t h e o r y as the Hellinger-
Reissner principle, in w h i c h the c o n s t r a i n t (1.3) has been r e m o v e d at
the e x p e n s e h o w e v e r of i n t r o d u c i n g a L a g r a n g e m u l t i p l i e r . This p a p e r
w i l l be d e v o t e d to the study of a finite e l e m e n t m e t h o d b a s e d on this
v a r i a t i o n a l principle. In fact, this s o - c a l l e d m i x e d m e t h o d has been
found very u s e f u l in some p r a c t i c a l p r o b l e m s and refer to [17] for an
a p p l i c a t i o n to the n u m e r i c a l s o l u t i o n of a n o n l i n e a r p r o b l e m of r a d i ~
tive transfer.
For some g e n e r a l r e s u l t s c o n c e r n i n g m i x e d m e t h o d s , we r e f e r to
O d e n [12],[13] , O d e n & R e d d y [14] , R e d d y [16]. M i x e d m e t h o d s for
s o l v i n g 4th o r d e r e l l i p t i c e q u a t i o n s have been p a r t i c u l a r l y analyzed:
see Brezzi & R a v i a r t [2] , C i a r l e t & R a v i a r t [4] , J o h n s o n [9 ], [I0 ] ,and
M i y o s h i [11]. For r e l a t e d r e s u l t s we r e f e r also to H a s l i n g e r & H l ~ v a c e k
[ 8 ] .
An o u t l i n e of the p a p e r is as follows. In 2, we derive the m i x e d
v a r i a t i o n a l f o r m u l a t i o n of p r o b l e m (1.1) and we d e f i n e the r e l a t e d
d i s c r e t e elements, and in 4, the e r r o r a n a l y s i s of the a s s o c i a t e d
finite e l e m e n t m e t h o d is made. Finally, in 5, we g e n e r a l i z e the re-
sults of 3,4 to m i x e d m e t h o d s u s i n g r e c t a n g u l a r elements.
Let us d e s c r i b e some of the n o t a t i o n s u s e d t h r o u g h o u t this paper.
G i v e n an i n t e g e r m > 0 ,
Hm(~) = { v e L 2 (~) ; ~ v e L 2 (~) , I~I < m }
d e n o t e s the u s u a l S o b o l e v space p r o v i d e d the n o r m and s e m i - n o r m
i J -
! i : ! f
llvlim'a (I l<m a l a ~ v l 2 d x ) ' IV]m'a (I l=m a
G i v e n a v e c t o r - v a l u e d f u n c t i o n q = (q, , ..... ,qn) E (Hm(~))n, we set:
%
n 2/- n
llqllm,a = ( [ llqill~,a ) , lqlm,~ = ( [ lqilm,a )2
i=I i=I
/-
2
We d e n o t e b y H ( I ' ) t h e s p a c e o f t h e t r a c e s v LF o v e r I" o f t h e
f u n c t i o n s v E H I (~).
2 9 4
2. T H E M I X E D M O D E L
I n o r d e r t o d e r i v e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e v a r i a t i o n a l f o r m o f p r o b l e m
( 1 . 1 ) , w e i n t r o d u c e t h e s p a c e
(2.1) H ( d i v ; ~) = { q C (L2 (~)) n ; d i v q L 2 (~) }
p r o v i d e d w i t h t h e n o r m
(2.2) IlqIl =
H ( d i v ; ~ ) (llqll~
+ I l d i v q l l 2 )
G i v e n a v e c t o r - v a l u e d f u n c t i o n q E H ( d i v ; ~), w e m a y d e f i n e i t s n o r m a l
c o m p o n e n t ~ ~ H - # ( F ) w h e r e H 2 (7) is t h e d u a l s p a c e o f H # ( F ) a n d i
i s t he uni t out wa r d nor ma l a l ong F. Mor e ove r , we ha ve Gr e e n' s f or mul a
(2.3) V v E H I (~), I { q r a d v - q + v d i v q } d x = I v q - l d y
j ~",P,/~, %
r
w h e r e t h e i n t e g r a l i r e p r e s e n t s t h e d u a l i t y b e t w e e n t h e s p a c e s H - # ( F )
F
a n d H 2 (F) .
W e n e x t d e f i n e problem ( P) . Fi nd a pa i r of f unc t i ons
H ( d i v ; a) x L 2 (a) s u c h t h a t
e
( p , u ) E
(2.5)
r
Y v 6 L 2 (~) , | v ( d i v p + f ) d x = 0.
J
T h e o r e m I. T h e p r o b l e m (P) h a s a u n i q u e s o l u t i o n (~,u) E H ( d i v ; ~ ) ~ ( e ) .
I n a d d i t i o n , u is t h e s o l u t i o n o f t h e p r o b l e m (1.1) a n d w e h a v e (2.6)
p = g r a d u.
q / V b ~ / b
Proof. L e t u s f i r s t c h e c k t h e u n i q u e n e s s o f t h e s o l u t i o n o f p r o b l e m (P).
H e n c e , a s s u m e t h a t f = 0; f r o m ( 2 . 5 ) , w e g e t d i v p = 0. T a k i n g q = p
i n ( 2 . 4 ) , w e o b t a i n p = 0. T h e r e f o r e , w e h a v e
f
(2.7) V q E H ( d i v ; ~) , | u d i v q d x = 0
N o w , l e t w E H I (~) b e a f u n c t i o n s u c h t h a t
295
A w = u i n ~.
T h e n , b y c h o o s i n g q = g r a d w i n ( 2 . 7 ) , w e g e t u = 0.
I t r e m a i n s o n l y t o s h o w t h a t t h e p a i r (p = g r a d u , u ) i s a s o l u -
t i o n o f p r o b l e m (P), w h e r e u i s t h e s o l u t i o n o f p r o b l e m ( 1 . 1 ) . O n t h e
o n e h a n d , w e h a v e
d i v p + f = A u + f = O.
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , s i n c e u = 0 o n F, w e g e t b y u s i n g t h e G r e e n ' s
f o r m u l a
(2.8) I{p-q~ ~ + U d i v q } d x = JI u q ' v d y = 0
Remark I. O n e c a n e a s i l y c h e c k t h a t t h e s o l u t i o n (p,u) o f p r o b l e m (P)
m a y b e c h a r a c t e r i z e d a s t h e u n i q u e s e d d l e - p o i n t o f t h e q u a d r a t i c
f u n c t i o n a l
L(q,v).~ = I(q)% + I v ( d i v q% + f ) d x
o v e r t h e s p a c e H ( d i v ; ~) x L2 (), i . e . ,
W q e H ( d i v ; ), v e L = (~), L ( p , v ) < _ L ( p , u ) < _ L ( ~ , u )
H e n c e , t h e f u n c t i o n u is t h e L a g r a n g e m u l t i p l i e r a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e
c o n s t r a i n t d i v p + f = 0.
%
L e t u s n o w i n t r o d u c e a g e n e r a l m e t h o d o f d i s c r e t i z a t i o n o f p r o -
b l e m (1.1) b a s e d o n t h e m i x e d v a r i a t i o n a l f o r m u l a t i o n ( 2 . 4 ) , ( 2 . 5 ) . W e
a r e g i v e n t w o f i n i t e - d i m e n s i o n a l s p a c e s h a n d V h s u c h t h a t
(2.8) h C H ( d i v ; ) ; V h C L 2 (~).
T h e n w e d e f i n e problem (Ph) : F i n d a p a i r o f f u n c t i o n s
6 Q h x V h s u c h t h a t
(2.9)
V q h e h " i P h ' ~ q h d X + i U h d i v q h d x = 0 ,
( ~ h ' Uh)
( 2 . 1 0 )
W v h e V h , V h ( d i v ~ h + f ) d x 0
296
U s i n g a g e n e r a l r e s u l t of B r e z z i [I , T h e o r e m 2.1] c o n c e r n i n g the
a p p r o x i m a t i o n of v a r i a t i o n a l p r o b l e m s , w e g e t the f o l l o w i n g
Theorem 2. A s s u m e t h a t
~ h E Q h
(2.11) [ ~ d i v ~ h = 0
V
v h E V h , j v h d i v ~ h q d x =
0
a n d t h a t t h e r e e x i s t s a c o n s t a n t e > 0 s u c h t h a t
i v h d i v ~ h d x
V h E V h , s u p ~ > allVhJl
h l i h l J H ( d i v ; -
T h e n t h e p r o b l e m (Ph) h a s a u n i q u e s o l u t i o n (~h ' Uh) E ~ h V h a n d
t h e r e e x i s t s a c o n s t a n t ~ > 0 w h i c h d e p e n d e s o n l y o n ~ s u c h t h a t
(2.13)
I llp_~hiiH(div;~) + Iiu-uhlI <
o , ~ --
<-- qf i i n f IIp-q. I[ + inf llU-Vhll }
~ q h @ Q h ~ ~ h H ( d i v ; ~) v h e V h o,n
Remark 2. D e f i n e t h e o p e r a t o r V h e L ( V h ; Q h ) b y
(2.14) V h E V h ' V q h E Q h ' I V'v" " q ' ~ n n ~ n d x = - I V h d i v q h dx "
C l e a r l y , v h c a n b e v i e w e d as an a p p r o x i m a t i o n o f t h e o p e r a t o r g r a d . N o w ,
t h e f u n c t i o n u h m a y be c h a r a c t e r i z e d as t h e u n i q u e s o l u t i o n of t h e f o l
l o w i n g p r o b l e m : F i n d u h E V h s u c h t h a t
(2.15)
V h E V h " I V~U" "V-v" d x = I f v h d x " ~ * ~ n % n n
In f a c t , f r o m t h e a s s u m p t i o n (2.11) a n d (2.12), it f o l l o w s t h a t p r o -
b l e m (2.15) h a s a u n i q u e s o l u t i o n u h E V h . M o r e o v e r , it is r e a d i l y
s e e n t h a t t h e p a i r (~hUh , u h) is t h e s o l u t i o n o f p r o b l e m (Ph) .
S i n c e in g e n e r a l V h : H: (~) (2.15) is non-conforming displacement
0
m o d e l f o r s o l v i n g p r o b l e m (1.1). F o r o t h e r n O n - c o n f o r m i n g m e t h o d s b a -
s e d o n h y b r i d m o d e l s , w e r e f e r to [15].
297
It r e m a i n s to c o n s t r u c t the f i n i t e - d i m e n s i o n a l s u b s p a c e s ~h and
V h of the spaces H ( d i v ; ~) L2 (~) r e s p e c t i v e l y so that they s a t i s f y
"good" a p p r o x i m a t i o n p r o p e r t i e s and the c o m p a t i b i l i t y c o n d i t i o n s
(2.11) and (2.12) w i t h a c o n s t a n t a i n d e p e n d e n t of the p a r a m e t e r h.
For convenience, we shall assume in the sequel that ~ is a
b o u n d e d poZygon of ~ 2 . We then e s t a b l i s h a t r i a n g u l a t i o n ~ h of
made up w i t h t r i a n g l e s and p a r a l l e l o g r a m s K w h o s e d i a m e t e r s are ! h .
We b e g i n by c o n s r t u c t i o n f i n i t e - d i m e n s i o n a l ~h of the ~pace H(div;~).
G i v e n a finite e l e m e n t K 6 ~ h ' we d e n o t e by ~K the u n i t o u t w a r d
normal a l o n g the b o u n d a r y ~K of K. U s i n g the G r e e n ' s f o r m u l a (2.3) in
~ h ' one can e a s i l y prove that a f u n c t i o n q each K
E E (L2 ( ~ ) ) 2
b e l o n g s to the space H ( d i v ; D) if and o n l y if the two f o l l o w i n g
c o n d i t i o n s h o l d :
(i) for all K e ~ h ' the r e s t r i c t i o n ql K
b e l o n g s o the space H ( d i v ; K) ;
%
of q to the set K
(ii) for any pair of a d j a c e n t e l e m e n t s Ks , K2 E ~ h ' we have the
r e c i p r o c i t y r e l a t i o n
( 2 . 1 6 ) q l " ~ K + q 2 " ~ K = 0 o n K ' = K I C K 2 ,
w h e r e ~i stands for qlKi , i = 1,2 .
Hence the f u n c t i o n s of ~h will be a s s u m e d to be smooth in each
e l e m e n t K E ~ h and to s a t i s f y the r e c i p r o c i t y c o n d i t i o n s .
298
3. M I X E D T R I A N G U L A R E L E M E N T S
In this , we shall a s s u m e that K is a triangle, w i t h K and
for any i n t e g e r k >_ 0, we shall a s s o c i a t e a space QK of v e c t o r - v a l u e d
f u n c t i o n s q e H ( d i v ; K) such that :
(i) div q is a p o l y n o m i a l of d e g r e e < k ;
(ii) the r e s t r i c t i o n of q'~K to any side K' of K is a p o l y n o m i a l of
degree < k.
We b e g i n by i n t r o d u c i n g the space ~ a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the u n i t r i g h t
t r i a n g l e K in the (~,q)-plane w h o s e v e r t i c e s are ~, = (I,0), ~2 = (0,1),
@~s = (0,0). Let us f i r s t give some notations. We d e n o t e by Pk the space
of all p o l y n o m i a l s of d e g r e e < k in the two v a r i a b l e s <,q and by Sk
the space of all f u n c t i o n s d e f i n e d over 9K w h o s e r e s t r i c t i o n s to any
side K' of K are p o l y n o m i a l s of d e g r e e < k. G i v e n a p o i n t ~ = (~,q) of
R 2 =
we d e n o t e by ~i ~i(~), I < i <_ 3, the b a r y c e n t r i c c o o r d i n a t e s of
w i t h r e s p e c t to the v e r t i c e s ~i of K.
Now, the space ~ is r e q u i r e d to s a t i s f y the f o l l o w i n g p r o p e r t i e s :
( 3 . 1 ) ( P k ) 2 C Q ;
%
(3.2)
(3.3)
d i m ( Q ) = (k+1) (k+3) ;
%
9[ ~q
(3.4) ~ E k , ~.0 @ S k ~ (where ~ stands for ~ ) ;
(3.5)
ko = { ~ E ~ ; div ~ = 0} C (pk)~
L e m m a I. A s s u m e t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s (3.2)-(3.5) h o l d . T h e n a f u n c t i o n
~ E ~ is u n i q u e l y d e t e r m i n e d b y :
(a) t h e v a l u e s o f q . v a t (k+1) d i s t i n c t p o i n t s o f e a c h s i d e K' o f ~;
% %
(b) t h e m o m e n t s o f o r d e r < k-1 o f ~ , i.e.,
q i Xl X~ 2 ) t ~ 3 d x , i = 1 , 2 , a l + cL2 + c~3 = k - l .
K
P r o o f . Since by (3.2) the n u m b e r of d e g r e e s of f r e e d o m (a), (b) is equal
to the d i m e n s i o n of the space Q , it is s u f f i c i e n t to p r o v e that a
f u n c t i o n ~ E ~ w h i c h s a t i s f i e s the two conditions:
299
(3.6) ~-9~ = 0 a t (k+1) d i s t i n c t p o i n t s o f e a c h s i d e K' o f K ,
(3.7)
i ~ i x ? 1 ~ ; ~ x ; ~ d x = o , i = 1 , 2 , ~ 1 + ~ + ~ =
k- 1
K
m u s t v a n i s h i d e n t i c a l l y . I n f a c t , c o n d i t i o n s (3.4) a n d (3.6) i m p l y
q - ~ = 0 o n ~K. H e n c e , u s i n g (3.7) a n d a p p l y i n g t h e G r e e n ' s f o r m u l a
(2.3) i n K, w e o b t a i n f o r a l l ~ E P k
i. ~ d i v ~ d R = - { g r a d ~.~ d~ + i "'" d~ = 0
K K ~K
S i n c e , b y ( 3 . 3 ) , d i v ~ E P k , w e g e t d i v ~ q = 0 s o t h a t ~ E Q o .
NOW, i t f o l l o ws f r o m ( 3 . 5 ) t h a t t h e r e e x i s t s a p o l y n o mi a l w~2Pk+ ]
u n i q u e l y d e t e r m i n e d u p t o a n a d d i t i v e c o n s t a n t s u c h t h a t
~ ~ )
= ~%~curl Q = I ~ n ' - ~--~ "
N o t e t h a t q . ~ = ~-~w = 0 o n ~K, w h e r e ~ ~ ~ s t a n d s f o r t h e t a n g e n t i a l
d e r i v a t i v e a l o n g ~K. T h u s w e m a y a s s u m e t h a t Q = 0 o n ~K a n d w e m a y
w r i t e
Q = 1 1 1 2 1 3 z , Z E P k _ 2 (z = 0 f o r k = 0,1)
U s i n g a g a i n ( 3 . 7 ) , w e o b t a i n f o r a n y t ~ ( P k - 1 ) 2
K K K
~r2 ~rl E C l e a r l y w e c a n c h o o s e r s o t h a t
w h e r e c u r l { = ~ - ~ P k - 2 " "
= c u r l ~ a n d t h e n
i X 1 1 2 X 3 z 2 d x = 0 .
K
T h e r e f o r e , w e g e t ~ = 0 s o t h a t Q = 0 a n d ~ = c u r l Q = 0.
Remark 3. A s r e g a r d s t h e d e g r e e s o f f r e e d o m o f a f u n c t i o n ~ E ~ , o n e
c o u l d h a v e e q u i v a l e n t l y s p e c i f i e d t h e mo me n t s o f o r d e r ~ k
g ~ ' E P k
300
o f ~ - 9 o n t h e s i d e ~ ' i n s t e a d o f i t s v a l u e s a t ( k + l ) d i s t i n c t p o i n t s
n j
o f R '
L e t u s g i v e s o m e e x a m p l e s o f s p a c e s o
E x a m p l e 1. L e t k > 0 b e a n e v e n i n t e g e r ; w e d e f i n e ~ t o b e t h e s p a c e
o f a l l f u n c t i o n s ~ o f t h e f o r m
k k
i ~ k $ ~ + I q~
ql = p O l k ( ~ , n ) + a o ~ k + l + a l + " ' ' + ~ k
( 3 . 8 ) k k
Bo rlk+l ~2 2
~t2 = p O l k ( g , n ) + + ( 6 ~ n k + " ' ' + g k n
w i t h
k
2
( 3 . 9 ) [ ( - 1 ) i ( ~ i - 6 i) = 0
i = 0
-- -- + 1
I n ( 3 . 8 ) , p O l k ( ~ , n ) d e n o t e s a n y p o l y n o m i a l o f d e g r e e k i n t h e t w o
v a r i a b l e ~ , q . C l e a r l y , c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 1 ) , ( 3 . 2 ) h o l d . N e x t ~ . ~ i s
n ~
o b v i o u s l y a p o l y n o m i a l o f d e g r e e <_ k o n e a c h s i d e $ = 0 a n d q = 0 o f
A
K. O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t f o l l o w s f r o m ( 3 . 9 ) t h a t q . ~ i s a l s o a p o l y -
n o m i a l o f d e g r e e < k o n t h e s i d e < + q = I . F i n a l l y , w e h a v e
k
2
, . k - i i
d i v ~ = p O l k _ I ( $ , ~ ) + ~ ( k + 1 - i ) ~ a i % n + B i ~ i q k - i ) E p k
i = 0
s o t h a t d i v ~ = 0 i m p l i e s
k
~ i = 6 i = 0 , 0 <_ i <_ ~ - 1 ,
~ k + 6 k = 0
2
a n d , b y t h e c o n d i t i o n ( 3 . 9 )
k
a i = 8 i = 0 , 0 <_ i < ~
H e n c e , h y p o t h e s e s ( 3 . 1 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d .
C o n s i d e r f o r i n s t a n c e t h e c a s e k = 0. T h e n a f u n c t i o n ~ q ~ i s o f
t h e f o r m
I = + a1~
(~i a o
( 3 . 1 0 ) q2 = b o + bl q , al = bl ,
301
a n d b y L e m m a I, t h e d e g r e e s o f f r e e d o m o f ~ m a y b e c h o s e n a s t h e
v a l u e s o f q - ~ a t t h e m i d p o i n t s o f t h e s i d e s o f t h e t r i a n g l e K.
Example 2. N o w , l e t k >_ I b e a n odd i n t e g e r ; w e t h e n d e f i n e ~ t o b e
t h e s p a c e o f a l l f u n c t i o n s ~ o f t h e f o r m
k+1 k + 1
~ k + 1 + a ~ k n + " . + ~ k + 1 ~ 2 2
ql = p O l k ( ~ ' n ) + ~o n ,
2
(3.1 1 ) k + 1 k+1
2 2
q2 = p O l k ( ~ , ~ ) + ~ o q k + l + B 1 ~ q k + . . . + S k + 1 ~ n ,
2
w i t h
k + 1 k+l
2 2
(3.12) ~ ( - I ) i ~ = ~ (-I) i
6i = 0 .
i= 0 1 i = 0
H e r e a g a i n , o n e c a n e a s i l y c h e c k t h a t c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 1 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d .
F o r k = I, a f u n c t i o n ~ q ~ ~ i s o f t h e f o r m
= a + a 1 ( + a 2 n + a 3 ( ( ( + q ) ,
O
= b
O
( 3 . 1 3 )
+ b , ~ + b 2 n + b 3 ~ ( [ . + ~ )
a n d , b y L e m m a I, t h e d e g r e e s o f f r e e d o m o f ~ m a y b e c h o s e n a s t h e
v a l u e s o f ~ . ~ a t t w o d i s t i n c t p o i n t s o f e a c h s i d e o f K ( f o r t h e
G a u s s - L e g e n d r e p o i n t s ) a n d a s t h e ~ e a n v a l u e
1 d = ~ ~ 1
r u e s (~1) :~ K
o f ~ o v e r K.
N e x t , c o n s i d e r a n y t r i a n g l e K i n t h e (x, , x 2 ) - p l a n e w h o s e v e r t i -
c e s a r e d e n o t e d b y a i, 1 < i < 3 . W e s e t :
( 3 . 1 4 )
( 3 . 1 5 )
L e t F K
a f f i n e i n v e r t i b l e m a p p i n g s u c h t h a t
F K (ai) = a i ,
h K = d i a m e t e r o f K,
P K = d i a m e t e r o f t h e i n s c r i b e d c i r c l e i n K.
: ~ ~ F K ( ~ ) = B K ~ + b K , B K E L ~ 2 ) , b K @ ~ 2 , b e t h e u n i q u e
1 < i < 3 .
302
W i t h a n y s c a l a r f u n c t i o n $ d e f i n e d o n K ( r e s p . o n 8 K ) , w e a s s o c i a t e
t h e f u n c t i o n ~ d e f i n e d o n K ( r e s p . o n 8K) b y
( 3 . 1 6 ) ~ = $ o F K I (~ = 0 o F K)
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , w i t h a n y v e c t o r - v a l u e d f u n c t i o n ~ = (q, , q2)
d e f i n e d o n ~, w e a s s o c i a t e t h e f u n c t i o n q d e f i n e d o n K b y
I - - I
( 3 . 1 1 q =% { o
- i
w h e r e J K = d e t ( B K ) " W e s h a l l c o n s t a n t l y u s e i n t h e s e q u e l t h e o n e - t o -
o n e c o r r e s p o n d e n c e s ~ *---~ ~ ~ +-+
T h e c h o i c e o f t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n (3.17) is b a s e d o n t h e f o l l o w o n g
s t a n d a r d r e s u l t .
L e m m a 2. F o r a n y f u n c t i o n ~ E (H I ( ~ ) ) 2 , w e h a v e :
(3.18) ~ E L 2 (~) , d i v ~ d R = ~ d i v q d x ,
K K
(3. 19)
T4 ~ 6 L2 (~K) i i , ~ a . 0 d ~ = ~ q ' ~ K d y
~ t b r b r b
~K ~K
F o r t h e p r o o f , s e e [18] f o r i n s t a n c e . W e s h a l l a l s o n e e d
L e m m a 3. We h a v e f o r a n y i n t e g e r ~ 0 :
( 3 . 2 0 ) v ~ e H ~ ( ~ ) , I ~ 1 ~ , ~ <_ I I B K I I ~ i a l i l , , K ,
(3.21)
J_
2 ,
] - - ! - - !
w h e r e ]IBKil ( r e s p . IB K I]) d e n o t e s t h e s p e c t r a l n o r m o f B y ( r e s p . B K ).
P r o o f . T h e i n e q u a l i t y (3.20) h a s b e e n d e r i v e d i n [3 , i n e q u a l i t y
( 4 . 1 5 ) ] . B y u s i n g ( 3 . 1 7 ) , t h e i n e q u a l i t y (3.21) c a n b e o b t a i n e d i n a
v e r y s i m i l a r w a y .
N o w , w i t h t h e t r i a n g l e E, w e a s s o c i a t e t h e s p a c e
A s s u m e t h a t c o n d i t i o n s (3.3) a n d (3.4) h o l d . T h e n , b y L e m m a 2, t h e
f u n c t i o n s q o f t h e s p a c e K s a t i s f y t h e d e s i r e d p r o p e r t i e s (i) a n d (ii).
303
C o n c e r n i n g t h e a p p r o x i m a t i o n o f s m o o t h v e c t o r - v a l u e d f u n c t i o n s q
b y f u n c t i o n s o f t h e s p a c e ~ K ' w e h a v e
T h e o r e m 3. A s s u m e t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 1 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d a n d l e t t h e
s p a c e ~ K b e d e f i n e d a s i n ( 3 . 2 2 ) . T h e n t h e r e e x i s t a n o p e r a t o r
~ K E L ( ( H ~ ( K ) ) 2 ; a n d a c o n s t a n t C > 0 i n d e p e n d e n t o f K s u c h t h a t :
(i)
(3.23)
f o r e a c h s i d e K' o f K a n d f o r a l l ~ E P k
i ( ~ g - g ) - ~ ~ d~ = o ,
K'
(ii) f o r a l l f u n c t i o n q E (H k+1 (K))2 w i t h d i v q E H k + 1 (K) ,
, k + 2
q" C n K (lql +i d i v ,K]
( 3. 24) II~K q - " H ( d i v ; K ) i PK k + l , K ql k +l
Proof. G i v e n a f u n c t i o n q 6 (H I (~))2, t h e r e e x i s t s b y L e m m a I
R e m a r k / ~ . a u n i q u e f u n c t i o n ~ ~ E ~ s u c h t h a t
(3.25)
a n d
X ~ E P k ' (~ ~ - ~ ) "9 ~ d q = 0 f o r e a c h s i d e K' o f K ,
K'
K
I t f o l l o w s f r o m (3.1) t h a t ~W ~ = ~ f o r a l l ~ ~ ( P K ) 2 . T h e n , b y
a p p l y i n g L e m m a 7 o f [3] i n v e c t o r f o r m , w e g e t f o r a l l ~ E (Hk+1 (~)) 2
( 3 . 2 7 ) I I ~ - ~ , ~ o . ~ _ < c , i ~ I k + 1 , ~
f o r s o m e c o n s t a n t ci = ci (K). O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , u s i n g ( 3 . 2 5 ) , ( 3 . 2 6 )
a n d t h e G r e e n ' s f o r m u l a , w e o b t a i n f o r a l l ~ E P k
i d i v ( ~ ~ - ~ ) ~ d R = - I (~ ~ - ~ ) . g r a d ~ d x + / ( ~ - ~ ~ ) . ~ ~ d q = 0.
K K ~
H e n c e d i v ( ~ ~) i s t h e o r t h o g o n a l p r o j e c t i o n i n L2 (K) o f d i v ~ u p o n P K "
T h e n , a s s u m i n g t h a t d i v ~ 6 H k+1 (~) a n d a p p l y i n g a g a i n [3, L e m m a 7],
w e o b t a i n f o r s o m e c o n s t a n t c2 = c2 (~)
( 3 . 2 8 ) , d i v ( ~ ~ - ~ ) , < c ~ I d i v
3 0 4
D e f i n e n o w t h e o p e r a t o r ~ b y
~ K
~ ^~q E (HI ( K ) ) 2 ' ~ K ~ q = ~ ~ " ,
C l e a r l y , ( 3 . 2 3 ) f o l l o w s f r o m ( 3 . 2 5 ) a n d L e m m a 2. S i n c e
~ K q - q = B K F K '
~ 7 ~ ( ~ I - ~ ) o
w e h a v e
- f
I I ~ q - q t l < t t B ~ < t I 1 % t t l ~ ~ - ~ t l o , ~ .
T h u s , b y u s i n g i n e q u a l i t i e s ( 3 . 2 7 ) a n d ( 3 . 2 1 ) f o r = k + 1 , w e g e t f o r
a l l q 6 iH k + 1 (K)) ~
( 3 . 2 9 ) II K ~-qll , K < cl llBKl[k+21 -i
~z o IBK l l l q l k + l , K "
F i n a l l y , f r o m ( 3 . 1 8 ) w e h a v e
--I
1
F K
s o t h a t
" d i v ( ~ K ~ - ~ I " o , ~ = I % 1 " a i v < ~ ~ - ~ I " o , ~
T h e r e f o r e , n o t i c i n g t h a t
d i v ~ = J K ( d i v ~ q )
a n d a p p l y i n g t h e i n e q u a l i t i e s ( 3 . 2 8 ) a n d ( 3 . 2 0 ) ( w i t h = k + 1 a n d
= d i v q ) , w e o b t a i n w h e n d i v q E H k + 1 (K)
( 3 . 3 0 )
L l d i v ( ~ q - z ) l l o , K <_ c21LB~ll k + 1 I d i v q l k + 1 , ~
S i n c e , b y [ 1 5 , L e m / n a 2] , w e h a v e
( 3 . 3 1 )
h K - i h K
llBKil < P K , lIB K " 11 < _ - - p K ,
t h e d e s i r e d i n e q u a l i t y ( 3 . 2 4 ) f o l l o w s f r o m ( 3 . 2 9 ) a n d ( 3 . 3 0 ) .
305
4. E R R O R B O U N D S
A s s u m e t h a t ~ h is a t r i a n g u l a t i o n o f ~ m a d e u p w i t h t r i a n g l e s
K w h o s e d i a m e t e r s a r e < h. W e n o w i n t r o d u c e t h e s p a c e
(4.1) Q h = {~qh 6 H ( d i v ; ~) ; V K E ~ h , q h l K E Q K }
w h e r e , f o r a l l K E ~ h ' t h e s p a c e ~ K i s d e f i n e d a s i n ( 3 . 2 2 ) .
T h e d e g r e e s o f f r e e d o m o f a f u n c t i o n ~ h E ~ h a r e e a s i l y d e t e r m i -
n e d ; t h e y c a n b e c h o s e n a s
(i) t h e v a l u e s o f ~ h . ~ K , a t (k+1) d i s t i n c t p o i n t s o f e a c h s i d e K'
o f t h e t r i a n g u l a t i o n ~ h ;
(ii) t h e m o m e n t s o f o r d e r ~ k - 1 o f ~ h o v e r e a c h t r i a n g l e K E ~ h -
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , f o r a n y ~ h @ ~ h a n d a n y K E ~ h ' w e h a v e
E P k " H e n c e , a n a t u r a l c h o i c e f o r t h e s p a c e V h i s g i v e n b y
( d i v q h ) I K
(4.2) V h = { v h e L 2 (~) ; K e ~ h , Vhi K e p k } ,
s O t h a t c o n d i t i o n (2.11) i s a u t o m a t i c a l l y s a t i s f i e d .
N o t e t h a t t h e f u n c t i o n v h E V h d o n o t s a t i s f y a n y c o n t i n u i t y
c o n s t r a i n t a t t h e i n t e r e l e m e n t b o u n d a r i e s .
N o w , i n o r d e r t o a p p l y T h e o r e m 2, t h e e s s e n t i a l s t e p c o n s i s t s i n
p r o v i n g t h a t t h e c o m p a t i b i l i t y c o n d i t i o n (2.12) h o l d s w i t h a c o n s t a n t
i n d e p e n d e n t o f h. I n f a c t , w e w a n t t o s h o w t h a t , f o r a n y f u n c t i o n
v h 6 V h , t h e r e e x i s t s a f u n c t i o n ~ h @ ~ h s u c h t h a t
(4.3) d i v ~ h = V h i n
a n d
(4.4) Ilq. II C11Vhll o '
% n H ( d i v ; ~) <
- ~ '
w h e r e t h e c o n s t a n t C i s i n d e p e n d e n t o f h. F o r t h e p r o o f , w e n e e d s o m e
t e c h n i c a l p r e l i m i n a r y r e s u l t s .
L e t K a t r i a n g l e o f ~ h ; w e d e n o t e b y S k , ~ K t h e s p a c e o f a l l
f u n c t i o n s d e f i n e d o v e r ~ K w h o s e r e s t r i c t i o n s t o a n y s i d e K' o f K a r e
p o l y n o m i a l s o f d e g r e e < k.
Lemma 4. Let there be given functions v 6 P k and ~ E S k , ~ K such that
(4.5) i v d x = I ~ d X .
K ~K
3 0 6
A s s u m e t h a t c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 2 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d . T h e n t h e r e e x i s t s a f u n c t i o n
q Q K s u c h t h a t
(4.6)
d i v q = v i n K ,
q. w = ~ on ~K ,
a n d
(4.7)
h ~
2 2 2
I l q l ] H ( d i v ; K ) < C ( l l V l l o K + I l u l l )
' P K o , ~K
w h e r e t h e c o n s t a n t C is i n d e p e n d e n t o f K.
P r o o f . L e t 91 P k a n d ~i S k b e f u n c t i o n s s u c h t h a t
(4.8)
I 9 1 d = f ~ i d ~
K 9 K
T h e n t h e N e u m a n n p r o b l 6 m
(4.9)
A W = 91 i n K ,
= [~ on ~ ,
h a s a s o l u t i o n ~ HI (K) w h i c h is u n i q u e u p t o a n a d d i t i v e c o n s t a n t .
M o r e o v e r , t h e r e e x i s t s a c o n s t a n t ci = ci (K) > 0 s u c h t h a t
2 2 2
( 4 . ~ 0 ) t ~ L l , ~ _< c , ( t l ~ , l l o , ~ + t l ~ , i t o , ~ )
N o w , b y L e m m a I, t h e r e e x i s t s a u n i q u e f u n c t i o n ~ ~ s u c h t h a t
V 9 __(Pk_1] ( - g . r a d Q ) . f d R = 0
K
q ' O = ~ i o n ~K .
F r o m (4.9) a n d t h e G r e e n ' s f o r m u l a , i t f o l l o w s t h a t
K ~ ~
307
= - I g r a d W g r a d ~ d + [ ~ ~
K ~K
A ~ d ~
K
s o t h a t d i v ~ is t h e o r t h o g o n a l p r o j e c t i o n i n L2 (K) o f A W u p o n P k "
H e n c e , w e g e t
( 4 . 1 1 )
d i v ~ = 91 i n R1 ,
~ ~
q i = ~, o n B ! ~ .
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t f o l l o w s f r o m (4.10) t h a t
(4.12)
3_
2 2 2
I1~11 <
~ , o , ~ , - c~ ( 1 1 9 1 , o , P , + i l , ~ , , o , ~ f i )
f o r s o m e c o n s t a n t c2 = c2 (R) > 0.
N o w , l e t K E ~ h ; w i t h t h e f u n c t i o n s v E P k a n d ~ E S k , ~ K s u c h
t h a t (4.5) h o l d s , w e a s s o c i a t e t h e f u n c t i o n s 91 E P k a n d ~i 6 ~ k
d e f i n e d b y
(4.13)
V ~ E P k , i 9 1 ~ d R = i v ~ d x ,
K K
f
V
@ S k , | ~i ~ d ? = ~ ~ d 7
J
~K BK
C l e a r l y w e h a v e ( 4 . 8 ) a n d t h e r e e x i s t s a f u n c t i o n ~ E ~ s u c h t h a t
(4.11) a n d (4.12) h o l d . W e n e x t d e f i n e q E ~ K b y
I --1
/ 4 1 4 ) = B , o F .
s o t h a t , b y (4.11) a n d L e m m a 2, w e g e t ( 4 . 6 ) .
I t r e m a i n s o n l y t o s h o w t h e e s t i m a t e ( 4 . 7 ) . W e g e t f r o m ( 4 . 1 2 ) a n d
(4.14)
(4.15)
2 2 - - 1 2 2
I I q l I ~ o , K _ < C 2 U B K I l I J K 2 ( 1 1 9 1 1 1 o , K + 1 1 ~ 1 1 1 o , ~ R 1
S i n c e 91 = I J K l V o F K , w e o b t a i n
2 2
( 4 . 1 6 ) 1191 [ ] o , ~ = ] J K ] l l V [ I o , K .
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , l e t K' b e a s i d e o f ~ a n d l e t K' = F K ( ~ ' ) . S i n c e
308
t h e s u p e r f i c i a l m e a s u r e s o f ~' a n d K' a r e r e m a t e d b y
m e a s ( K ' ) <_ I I B K 1 t l [ J K l m e a s ( K ' )
w e o b t a i n
( 4 . 1 7 ) u ~ , U ~ o , K - , < - I I B ~ ' II I J K I II~ II o , ~ < ,
B y c o m b i n i n g t h e i n e q u a l i t i e s (4.15) - ( 4 . 1 7 ) , w e g e t
2 2 2 2
(4.18) llqll~ o , K ! c 2211BKII (llV[lo,K + llg-111U~IIK o , 3 K )
T h e r e f o r e , t h e d e s i r e d i n e q u a l i t y f o l l o w s f r o m (4.18) a n d ( 3 . 3 1 ) .
L e t u s n e x t i n t r o d u c e t h e s p a c e
(4.19) M h = { ~ h @ K S k ; + p h l 3 K ~ = 0
K E ~ h , ~ K Vhl 3Ki
o n KI C~ K2
f o r e v e r y p a i r o f a d j a c e n t t r i a n g l e s K I , K~ E ~ h } .
W e c o n s i d e r a r e g u l a r family (~h) o f t r i a n g u l a t i o n s o f ~ i n t h e s e n s e
o f [3] , i n t h a t t h e r e e x i s t s a c o n s t a n t o > 0 i n d e p e n d e n t o f h s u c h
t h a t
h K
(4.20) m a x - - < o .
K 6 ) ~ h P K --
Lemma 5. Let there be given spaces V h and M h d e f i n e d as in (4.2) and
(4.19) w h i c h are a s s o c i a t e d with a r e g u l a r f a m i l y of triangulations.
Then, with any f u n c t i o n v h E V h , we can a s s o c i a t e a f u n c t i o n Uh @ M h
such that for all K @ ~ h
v h d x = i P h d y
(4.21)
K 9K
and
(4.22)
2-
2 2
hK[lUhllo,~Kl <_ Cllvhllo, ~ ,
K 6 ~ h
where the constant C > 0 is i n d e p e n d e n t of h .
Proof. W e s h a l l c o n s t r u c t t h e f u n c t i o n U h b y u s i n g a h y b r i d f i n i t e
e l e m e n t m e t h o d a s i t h a s b e e n d e s c r i b e d a n d s t u d i e d i n [15] . H e n c e , t h e
309
p r o o f o f t h e L e m m a w i l l d e p e n d h e a v i l y u p o n t h e r e s u l t s o f [15] .
W e f i r s t d e f i n e t h e s p a c e
X h = { ~ h L2 (~) ; V K ~ h ' ~ h i K P k + 2 )
p r o v i d e d w i t h t h e n o r m
ilXh = + -2 ii~hLio,K)
( t h L , , K
K ~ h
N e x t , w e s e t :
l
a ( ? h, S h ) = [ j g r a d ~ . g r a d S h d X , ~ h , $ h X h ,
f
b ( ~ h, P h ) = _ ~ J ~ h U h d , ~ h E X h , U h E M h -
. K } ~ h ~K
T h e n , b y u s i n g [ 1 5 , T h e o r e m 2 a n d L e m m a s 2 , 3 , 4 ] , t h e r e e x i s t s a u n i q u e
p a i r o f f u n c t i o n s I~ h , ~ h ) 6 X h H h s u c h t h a t
S h c X h , a I ~ h , S h I + b I S h , ~ h I = S V h S h d X '
(4.23) W
(4.24) V P h M h ' b I ~ h ' P h I = 0.
B y c h o o s i n g i n (4.23)
% h = c h a r a c t e r i s t i c f u n c t i o n o f t h e s e t K ~ h
w e g e t (4.21) f o r a l l K ~ h "
N o w , i n o r d e r t o p r o v e t h e i n e q u a l i t y ( 4 . 2 2 ) , w e i n t r o d u c e t h e
f o l l o w i n g s u b s p a c e o f t h e s p a c e X h
Y h = { $ h X h ; P h E M h ' b [ $ h ' P h ] = 0}
C l e a r l y , t h e f u n c t i o n ~ h Y h m a y b e c h a r a c t e r i z e d a s t h e s o l u t i o n o f
S h Y h ' a ( ~ h ' ~ h ) = i V h S h d X "
V
T h e r e f o r e , w e g e t
310
a(~ h , ~h ) <_ llVhlIo,~ll~hllo, ~
By, [15, i n e q u a l i t y (6.18)] , w e h a v e t h e d i s c r e t e a n a l o g u e o f t h e
P o i n c a r ~ - F r i e d r i c h s i n e q u a l i t y :
2
Sh 6 Y h ' llShlIo,~ ~ c l a ( $ h , Sh) ,
w h e r e t h e c o n s t a n t ci is i n d e p e n d e n t o f h. H e n c e w e o b t a i n
1.
(4.25) a(~o h , ~h )2 < cI [Vhllo, ~
N e x t , it f o l l o w s f r o m (4.23) a n d (4.25) t h a t
2
(4.26) b ( , h ~h ) < (ll,hll + c l a ( , h ,h ) )11VhLl <
-- o , ~ ' o , ~ - -
< C2 II$h[I JlVhll
-- X h 0 , 2 '
w h e r e c2 is a c o n s t a n t i n d e p e n d e n t of h. T h u s , t h e i n e q u a l i t y
f o l l o w s f r o m (4.26) a n d t h e f o l l o w i n g i n e q u a l i t y
b ( $ h , ~ h )
2 2
( [ h K ll~h[o,~K ) < C3 s u p , c3 = C3 (~)
K 6 ~ h Sh @ Xh JJ~h[JX h
(4.22)
(cfr. [15 , i n e q u a l i t y ( 6 . 2 9 ) ] ) .
W e a r e n o w a b l e t o s t a t e
T h e o r e m 4. L e t t h e r e b e g i v e n s p a c e s ~ h a n d V h d e f i n e d as in (4.1) a n d
(4.2), w h i c h a r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a r e g u l a r f a m i l y o f t r i a n g u l a t i o n s .
A s s u m e in a d d i t i o n t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 2 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d . T h e n , w i t h a n y
f u n c t i o n v h 6 V h , w e c a n a s s o c i a t e a f u n c t i o n ~ h E ~ h w h i c h s a t i s f i e s
t h e c o n d i t i o n s (4.3), (4~4) w i t h a c o n s t a n t C > 0 i n d e p e n d e n t o f h.
Proof. L e t v h b e a f u n c t i o n in V h. By L e m m a 5, w e c o n s t r u c t a f u n c t i o n
V h 6 M h s u c h t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s (4.21) a n d (4.22) h o l d .
N e x t , u s i n g L e m m a 4, t h e r e e x i s t s a f u n c t i o n ~ h E (L ~ (~))2 s u c h t h a t
f o r a l l K E ~ h ' w e h a v e :
Z h l K ~ ~ K '
d i v (qh I K) = Vhl K '
( ~ h L ~ ) ' ~ = ~ h l ~ K
311
S i n c e ~h E M h , t h e r e c i p r o c i t y c o n d i t i o n s (2.15) h o l d so t h a t q ~ h E ~ h
a n d d i v ~ h = V h in ~. M o r e o v e r , it f o l l o w s f r o m (4.7) a n d (4.20) t h a t
2 2 2
(4.27) ~ ~ (div; ~) ~ ( IIVhll ' ~ K @ h
Uqhll C 2 + a ~ hKIl ~hIlo, 3K ) .
C o m b i n i n g t h e i n e q u a l i t i e s (4.22) a n d (4.27), w e o b t a i n t h e i n e q u a l i t y
(4.4).
W e n o w h a v e o u r m a i n r e s u l t .
T h e o r e m 5. W e a s s u m e t h a t u 6 H k + 2 ( ~ ) a n d Au E H k + 1 ( ~ ) f o r s o m e i n t e -
g e r k ~ 0. L e t t h e r e b e g i v e n s p a c e s ~ h a n d V h d e f i n e d as in (4.1)-
(4.2), w h i c h a r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a r e g u l a r f a m i l y o f t r i a n g u l a t i o n s .
W e a s s u m e in a d d i t i o n t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s ( 3 . 1 ) - ( 3 . 5 ) h o l d . T h e n p r o -
b l e m (Ph) h a s a u n i q u e s o l u t i o n a n d t h e r e e x i s t s a c o n s t a n t ~ i n d e -
p e n d e n t of h s u c h t h a t
(4.28) 11~-PhJlH(div;~) + llU-Uhllo, ~ <_ ~ hk+1 ( l U l k + 1 , e + l U l k + 2 , + [ n U l k + 1 , e )
Proof. L e t v h E V h ; b y t h e p r e v i o u s t h e o r e m , w e h a v e
l
s u p J~ v h d i v ~ h
d x
1
>-- ~ H V h U o , e
q h E ~ h L'q il
~ h H ( d i v ; ~)
%
I
so t h a t t h e h y p o t h e s i s (2.12) h o l d s w i t h a = ~ . T h u s , b y T h e o r e m 2,
it r e m a i n s o n l y to e v a l u a t e t h e q u a n t i t i e s
i n f llp-~hll a n d inf llU-Vhll
~ H (div; ~) o , ~
~ h E ~ h ~ v h E V h
O n t h e o n e h a n d , b y u s i n g T h e o r e m 3, w e d e f i n e ~ h p E (L 2 (S))2
b y
h P I K
, = ~ ( p l ~ l
It f o l l o w s f r o m (3.23) t h a t t h e r e c i p r o c i t y r e l a t i o n s (2.15) h o l d so
t h a t %~h E ~h" N e x t , w e d e d u c e f r o m (3.24) a n d (4.20) t h a t f o r s o m e
c o n s t a n t ci i n d e p e n d e n t of h
(4.29) tL~-~ p l l < c l h k+1 + IAul
~ h H (div;~) -- ( l U l k + 2 , ~ k + 1 , ~ )"
312
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , a s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d a p p l i c a t i o n o f [3, T h e o r e m 5]
g i v e s f o r s o m e c o n s t a n t c~ i n d e p e n d e n t o f h
( 4 . 3 0 ) i n f ~U-Vhll < c 2 h k + 1
o , ~ - - l U l k + l , ~ "
v h @ V h
T h e n , i n e q u a l i t y (4.28) f o l l o w s f r o m i n e q u a l i t i e s ( 2 . 1 1 ) , ( 4 . 2 9 ) a n d
( 4 . 3 0 ) .
5. M I X E D Q U A D R I L A T E R A L E L E M E N T S
W e s h a l l b r i e f l y d i s c u s s t h e c a s e o f q u a d r i l a t e r a l e l e m e n t s . A s
f o r t r i a n g u l a r e l e m e n t s , w e b e g i n b y i n t r o d u c i n g t h e s p a c e Q a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h t h e u n i t s q u a r e K = [ 0,I] z i n t h e ( ~ , q ) - p l a n e . G i v e n t w o i n t e g e r s
k, Z ~ 0, l e t u s d e n o t e b y P k , t h e s p a c e o f a l l p o l y n o m i a l s i n t h e t w o
v a r i a b l e s ~ , q o f t h e f o r m
k
(5.1) p ( ~ , q ) = [ [ c i j ~ z q ] , c i j e ~ .
i = O j = O
N o w w e d e f i n e t h e s p a c e k b y
N o t e t h a t , f o r ~ E ~, w e h a v e :
(i) d i v ~ = ~ ~ P k , k
(ii) t h e r e s t r i c t i o n o f ~ . 2 t o a n y s i d e K' o f K is a p o l y n o m i a l o f
d e g r e e < k.
O n e c a n p r o v e
Lemma 6. A function ~ e ~ is uniquely determined by:
(a) the values of ~.0 at (k+1) distinct points of each side K'
o f f <
(b) the quantities
ql ~ i n 3 d x , 0 < i < k - 1 , 0 < j < k ,
K
I ~
q ~ i q J d ~ , 0 < i < k , 0 < j < k - 1
313
T h e p r o o f g o e s a l o n g t h e s a m e l i n e s o f t h a t o f L e m m a I.
C o n s i d e r f o r i n s t a n c e t h e c a s e k = 0. A F u n c t i o n q ~ i s o f t h e
f o r m
(5.3)
ql = a + al ~ ,
q2 b + b, n ,
a n d b y L e m m a 6, t h e d e g r e e s o f f r e e d o m o f ~ m a y .be c h o o s e n a s t h e
v a l u e s o f q . 9 a t t h e m i d p o i n t s o f t h e s i d e s o f t h e s q u a r e ~.
nj
N e x t , l e t K b e a p a r a l l e l o g r a m i n t h e (x,, x 2 ) - p l a n e . T h e r e e x i s t s
a n a f f i n e i n v e r t i b l e m a p p i n g F K : R ~ F K ( ~ ) = B K R + b K , a u c h t h a t
K = F K ( K ) . W i t h K, w e a s s o c i a t e t h e s p a c e
L e t ~ 6 ~ K ; t h e r e s t r i c t i o n o f q - v t o a n y s i d e K' o f t h e q u a d r ~
b E
l a t e r a l K is a p o l y n o m i a l o f d e g r e e ~ k .
A s s u m e n o w t h a t ~ h is a t r i a n g u l a t i o n o f ~ m a d e u p w i t h p a r a l -
l e l o g r a m s K w h o s e d i a m e t e r s a r e ~ h. W e s e t :
(5.5) Q h = { q h E H ( d i v ; ~ ) ; V K E ~ h ' q h ] K e Q }
N o t e t h a t , f o r a n y ~ h ~ h a n d a n y K ~ h ' w e h a v e
( d i v Z h ) I K o F K P k , k "
S o w e s e t
B y u s i n g t h e t e c h n i q u e s o f 3 , 4 , o n e c a n s i m i l a r l y p r o v e t h a t
p r o b l e m (Ph) h a s a u n i q u e s o l u t i o n (~h ' Uh) E ~ h V h a n d t h a t t h e
e r r o r b o u n d (4.28) s t i l l h o l d s .
314
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