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| 1 | +## Calculating Derivatives $dx(u)$ and $dy(u)$ Over a Triangular Finite Element |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | + |
| 4 | +<img width="200" align="left" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/124852e5-3169-4436-8fa9-b90bddfc9972"/> |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +To calculate the derivatives of a function $u$ with respect to $x$ and $y$ ( denoted as $\frac{\partial u}{\partial x}$, $\frac{\partial u}{\partial y}$, or more simply $dx(u)$, $dy(u)$ ) over a triangular finite element, we follow these steps: |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +### 1. Define the Triangle and the P1 Basis Functions |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +In a P1 (linear) finite element, the function $u$ is assumed to be linear over each triangle. |
| 11 | +Let the vertices of the triangle be $\mathbf{v}_1 = (x_1, y_1)$, $\mathbf{v}_2 = (x_2, y_2)$, and $\mathbf{v}_3 = (x_3, y_3)$, |
| 12 | +with corresponding function values $u_1 = u(\mathbf{v}_1)$, $u_2 = u(\mathbf{v}_2)$, and $u_3 = u(\mathbf{v}_3)$. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +The function $u(x, y)$ can be expressed as: |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +$$u(x, y) = a_0 + a_1 x + a_2 y$$ |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +where $a_0$, $a_1$, and $a_2$ are coefficients to be determined. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +### 2. Set Up the System of Equations |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +We solve for the coefficients $a_0$, $a_1$, and $a_2$ using the known values of $u$ at the triangle's vertices: |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +$$ |
| 25 | +\begin{aligned} |
| 26 | +u_1 &= a_0 + a_1 x_1 + a_2 y_1 \\ |
| 27 | +u_2 &= a_0 + a_1 x_2 + a_2 y_2 \\ |
| 28 | +u_3 &= a_0 + a_1 x_3 + a_2 y_3 |
| 29 | +\end{aligned} |
| 30 | +$$ |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +This system can be written in matrix form: |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +$$ |
| 35 | +\begin{pmatrix} |
| 36 | +1 & x_1 & y_1 \\ |
| 37 | +1 & x_2 & y_2 \\ |
| 38 | +1 & x_3 & y_3 |
| 39 | +\end{pmatrix} |
| 40 | +\begin{pmatrix} |
| 41 | +a_0 \\ |
| 42 | +a_1 \\ |
| 43 | +a_2 |
| 44 | +\end{pmatrix}= |
| 45 | +\begin{pmatrix} |
| 46 | +u_1 \\ |
| 47 | +u_2 \\ |
| 48 | +u_3 |
| 49 | +\end{pmatrix} |
| 50 | +$$ |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +Solve this system to get $a_0$, $a_1$, and $a_2$. |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +### 3. Calculate the Derivatives $dx(u)$ and $dy(u)$ |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +- The derivative $\frac{\partial u}{\partial x}$ is simply $a_1$. This is because the partial derivative of $u(x, y)$ with respect to $x$ is: |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +$$ |
| 60 | +\frac{\partial u}{\partial x} = a_1 |
| 61 | +$$ |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +Therefore, $dx(u) = a_1$. |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +- The derivative $\frac{\partial u}{\partial y}$ is simply $a_2$. This is because the partial derivative of $u(x, y)$ with respect to $y$ is: |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +$$ |
| 68 | +\frac{\partial u}{\partial y} = a_2 |
| 69 | +$$ |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +Therefore, $dy(u) = a_2$. |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +### 4. Shortcut Using the Area Formula (2D case) |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +For a 2D triangular element (i.e., $z = 0$), the coefficients $a_1$ and $a_2$ (which give the derivatives with respect to $x$ and $y$, respectively) can be directly computed using the area of the triangle and the coordinates of its vertices: |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +$$ |
| 78 | +a_1 = \frac{1}{2A} \left( u_1(y_2 - y_3) + u_2(y_3 - y_1) + u_3(y_1 - y_2) \right) |
| 79 | +$$ |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +$$ |
| 82 | +a_2 = \frac{1}{2A} \left( u_1(x_3 - x_2) + u_2(x_1 - x_3) + u_3(x_2 - x_1) \right) |
| 83 | +$$ |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +where $A$ is the area of the triangle, given by: |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +$$ |
| 88 | +A = \frac{1}{2} \left| x_1(y_2 - y_3) + x_2(y_3 - y_1) + x_3(y_1 - y_2) \right| |
| 89 | +$$ |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +This method directly gives the derivatives $dx(u)$ and $dy(u)$ without solving a system of equations. |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +## TO DO ## |
| 94 | +ADD CODE EXAMPLE |
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