A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENTIAL QUADRATURE METHODS FOR THE SOLUTION OF PARTIAL-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Discrete ordinate methods for the solution of partial differential equ ations are examined and compared. A novel approach for the discrete re presentation of differential operators based on split range polynomial expansions is introduced. The utility of the method is demonstrated f or the case of differentiation of functions involving steep gradients. The solution of Burgers' equation is presented to illustrate the effe ctiveness of the technique for the solution of nonlinear partial diffe rential equations exhibiting nearly discontinuous solutions. Compariso ns arc made with other differential quadrature methods.