1.4 Convergence and Consistency

Q: Is as

Def: A one-step finite difference scheme approximating a partial differential equation is a convergent scheme if

For any solution to the partial differential equation , and solutions to the finite difference scheme, , such that converges to as mh converges to x, then converges to as (nk,mh) converges to (t,x) as h,k converge to 0.

Def: Given a partial differential equation

, and a finite difference scheme,

, we say the finite difference

scheme is consistent with the partial

differential equation if for any smooth function

as

the convergence being pointwise convergence at each grid point.

Ex: The forward-time forward-space Scheme

Let So

where

by Taylor series we have

So

Thus

as

This scheme is consistent

Def: If F and G are function of some parameter , we write

F=O(G) as

if

,

for some constant K and all sufficiently small.

F=o(G) as

if F/G converges to zero as tends to zero.

Examples:

F= means F goes to zero as fast/slow as

Ex: The Lax-Friedrichs Scheme

by Taylor series

So as and

Ex: with

We have shown the scheme is consistency.

Now , let

and

but for

Therefore

1.5 Stability

If so has to be bounded is some sense.

Def: A FDS for a first-order equation is stable in a stability region

If an integer J s.t. T>0 s.t

If we let

Then we have

or

i.e , The norm of the solution at any time , is limit in the amount of growth that can occur. Note that J might be 0

A stability region is any bounded nonempty region of the first quadrant of that has the origin as an accumulation point.

Example:

We show this is stable if

Proof`:

How about inhomogeneous problem?

In Chapter 9:

A scheme is stable for the if it is stable

For the equation .

The Lax-Richtmyer Equivalence Theorem

The importance of the concepts of consistency and stability is seen in the Lax-Richtmyer equivalence theorem, which is the fundamental theorem in the theory of finite difference schemes for initial value problem.

Theorem: A consistent finite difference scheme for a pde for which the initial value problem is well-posed is convergent if and only if it is stable.

Def: The initial value problem for the first-order partial differential equation Pu =0 is well-posed if for any time T>=0, there is a constant such that any solution satisfies

for

Consistency Convergence

stability

easy, concepts hard analysis

Remark: Non-stable scheme can not be convergent.

1.6 The Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy Condition

The CFL Condition

Example 1.5.1

is stable if

i.e. the Lax-Friedrichs scheme is stable

if , where

Claim: is necessary condition for stability

Theorem: For an explicit scheme for the hyperbolic equation (1.1.1) of the form

with

a necessary condition for stability is the

Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy(CFL) condition

pf: Suppose ,

Consider , it depends on either or

but depends on x only for

since depends on for

and

so

so it is not stable

Theorem: There are no explicit unconditionally stable, consistent finite difference schemes for hyperbolic systems of pdes.

Two implicit schemes which are unconditionally stable

backward-time center-space scheme

This will be showed in Section 2.2

backward-time backward-space scheme

if a>0