A New Mixed Functional-probabilistic Approach for Finite Element Accuracy

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide a new perspective on finite element accuracy. Starting from a geometrical reading of the Bramble–Hilbert lemma, we recall the two probabilistic laws we got in previous works that estimate the relative accuracy, considered as a random variable, between two finite elements P k {P_{k}} and P m {P_{m}} ( k < m {k<m} ). Then we analyze the asymptotic relation between these two probabilistic laws when the difference m - k {m-k} goes to infinity. New insights which qualify the relative accuracy in the case of high order finite elements are also obtained.