The boundary element method (also known as boundary integral equation) is a computational method of solving numeric partial differential equations. It can be applied in many areas of engineering including fluid mechanics, acoustics, electromagnetics, fracture mechanics, and plasticity.
The boundary element method has become more and more popular since the 1980s. Because it requires calculating only boundary values, rather than values throughout the space defined by a partial differential equation, it is significantly more efficient in terms of computational resources. Conceptually, it works by constructing a "mesh" of triangles over the modelled surface.
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