A simple introduction to the method of lines

The method of lines (MOL), a semianalytical procedure, is well known to exp erts in computational techniques in electromagnetics. The range of applicat ions of the method has increased dramatically in the past few years; nevert heless, there is no introductory paper to initiate a beginner to the method . This paper illustrates the application of the MOL to solve Laplace's equa tion in rectangular and cylindrical coordinates. Two numerical examples are used to verify the procedure. The results obtained compare well with analy tical solutions.