The IMA Hot Topics workshop on compatible spatialdiscretizations was held in 2004. This volume contains original contributions based on the material presented there. A unique feature is the inclusion of work that is representative of the recent developments in compatible discretizations across a wide spectrum of disciplines in computational science. Abstracts and presentation slides from the workshop can be accessed on the internet.

The IMA Hot Topics workshop on compatible spatialdiscretizations was held in 2004. This volume contains original contributions based on the material presented there. A unique feature is the inclusion of work that is representative of the recent developments in compatible discretizations across a wide spectrum of disciplines in computational science. Abstracts and presentation slides from the workshop can be accessed on the internet.

Computational methods to approximate the solution of differential equations play a crucial role in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. The key processes that govern the physical world—wave propagation, thermodynamics, fluid flow, solid deformation, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, general relativity, and many more—are described by differential equations. We depend on numerical methods for the ability to simulate, explore, predict, and control systems involving these processes. The finite element exterior calculus, or FEEC, is a powerful new theoretical approach to the design and understanding of numerical methods to solve partial differential equations (PDEs). The methods derived with FEEC preserve crucial geometric and topological structures underlying the equations and are among the most successful examples of structure-preserving methods in numerical PDEs. This volume aims to help numerical analysts master the fundamentals of FEEC, including the geometrical and functional analysis preliminaries, quickly and in one place. It is also accessible to mathematicians and students of mathematics from areas other than numerical analysis who are interested in understanding how techniques from geometry and topology play a role in numerical PDEs.