Combining theoretical insights with practical applications, this stimulating collection provides a state-of-the-art survey of the finite element method, one of the most powerful tools available for the solution of physical problems. Written by leading experts, this volume consider such topics as parabolic Galerkin methods, nonconforming elements, the treatment of singularities in elliptic boundary value problems, and conforming methods for self-adjount elliptic problems. This will be an invaluable basic reference for computational mathematicians and engineers who use finite element methods in academic or industrial research.