Error Estimates for Adaptive Finite Element Computations

A mathematical theory is developed for a class of a-posteriors error estimates of finite element solutions. It is based on a general formulation of the finite element method in terms of certain bilinear forms on suitable Hilbert spaces. The main theorem gives an error estimate in terms of localized quantities which can be computed approximately. The estimate is optimal in the sense that, up to multiplicative constants which are independent of the mesh and solution, the upper and lower error bounds are the same. The theoretical results also lead to a heuristic characterization of optimal meshes, which in turn suggests a strategy for adaptive mesh refinement. Some numerical examples show the approach to be very effective.