Finite element analysis

Finite element analysis means "breaking up something very complicated into parts we can understand easily."

Let's say you have a jigsaw puzzle with a thousand pieces in it. It's too hard to figure out how to put the whole thing together at once. But if you take each piece out, look at it carefully, and work on putting just a few pieces together at a time, the task becomes much easier.

This is what finite element analysis does with complicated shapes like buildings, planes, and bridges. It divides them up into smaller pieces, called finite elements, using a computer program. Each of these pieces is simpler to understand and easier to work with.

The computer program then solves a bunch of equations to figure out how each of these pieces behave, like how they bend or twist under different forces. When you put all these pieces back together, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, you get a better understanding of how the whole thing behaves.

This kind of analysis can help engineers figure out how to create safer and more efficient structures.