Boundary observability for the space semi-discretizations of the 1-D wave equation

We consider space semi-discretizations of the 1 - d wave equation in a boun ded interval with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. We analyze the problem of boundary observability, i.e., the problem of whether the total energy of solutions can be estimated uniformly in terms of the energy conce ntrated on the boundary as the net-spacing h --> 0. We prove that, due to t he spurious modes that the numerical scheme introduces at high frequencies, there is no such a uniform bound. We prove however a uniform bound in a su bspace of solutions generated by the low frequencies of the discrete system . When h --> 0 this finite-dimensional spaces increase and eventually cover the whole space. We thus recover the well-known observability property of the continuous system as the limit of discrete observability estimates as t he mesh size tends to zero. We consider both finite-difference and finite-e lement semi-discretizations.