On optimal triangular meshes for minimizing the gradient error

Summary Construction of optimal triangular meshes for controlling the errors in gradient estimation for piecewise linear interpolation of data functions in the plane is discussed. Using an appropriate linear coordinate transformation, rigorously optimal meshes for controlling the error in quadratic data functions are constructed. It is shown that the transformation can be generated as a curvilinear coordinate transformation for anyC data function with nonsingular Hessian matrix. Using this transformation, a construction of nearly optimal meshes for general data functions is described and the error equilibration properties of these meshes discussed. In particular, it is shown that equilibration of errors is not a sufficient condition for optimality. A comparison of meshes generated under several different criteria is made, and their equilibrating properties illustrated.This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, by the Information Technology Research Centre, which is funded by the Province of Ontario, by the Applied Mathematical Sciences subprogram of the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and through an appointment to the U.S. Department of Energy Postgraduate Research Program administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities