The ?nite element method is the most powerful general-purpose technique for comput¬ing accurate solutions to partial differential equations. Understanding and Implementing the Finite Element Method is essential reading for those interested in understanding both the theory and the implementation of the ?nite element method for equilibrium problems. This book contains a thorough derivation of the finite element equations as well as sections on programming the necessary calculations, solving the finite element equations, and using a posteriori error estimates to produce validated solutions. Accessible introductions to advanced topics, such as multigrid solvers, the hierarchical basis conjugate gradient method, and adaptive mesh generation, are provided. Each chapter ends with exercises to help readers master these topics. It includes a carefully documented collection of MATLAB® programs implementing the ideas presented in the book. Readers will bene?t from a careful explanation of data structures and speci?c coding strategies and will learn how to write a ?nite element code from scratch. Students can use the MATLAB codes to experiment with the method and extend them in various ways to learn more about programming ?nite elements.