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Numerical solution of second‐order, two‐point boundary value problems using continuous genetic algorithms
Author(s) -
AboHammour Z. S.,
Yusuf M.,
Mirza N. M.,
Mirza S. M.,
Arif M.,
Khurshid J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.421
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1097-0207
pISSN - 0029-5981
DOI - 10.1002/nme.1108
Subject(s) - boundary value problem , numerical analysis , truncation error , generality , computer science , finite element method , algorithm , mathematical optimization , genetic algorithm , shooting method , point (geometry) , field (mathematics) , mathematics , mathematical analysis , engineering , psychology , geometry , structural engineering , psychotherapist , pure mathematics
Second‐order, two‐point boundary‐value problems are encountered in many engineering applications including the study of beam deflections, heat flow, and various dynamic systems. Two classical numerical techniques are widely used in the engineering community for the solution of such problems; the shooting method and finite difference method. These methods are suited for linear problems. However, when solving the non‐linear problems, these methods require some major modifications that include the use of some root‐finding technique. Furthermore, they require the use of other basic numerical techniques in order to obtain the solution. In this paper, the author introduces a novel method based on continuous genetic algorithms for numerically approximating a solution to this problem. The new method has the following characteristics; first, it does not require any modification while switching from the linear to the non‐linear case; as a result, it is of versatile nature. Second, this approach does not resort to more advanced mathematical tools and is thus easily accepted in the engineering application field. Third, the proposed methodology has an implicit parallel nature which points to its implementation on parallel machines. However, being a variant of the finite difference scheme with truncation error of the order O ( h 2 ), the method provides solutions with moderate accuracy. Numerical examples presented in the paper illustrate the applicability and generality of the proposed method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.