Finite element analysis is one of several numerical methods that can be used to solve complex problems and is the dominant method used today.

As the name implies, it takes a complex problem and breaks it down into a finite number of simple problems.  a continuous structure theoretically has an infinite number of simple problems, but finite element analysis approximates the behavior of a continuous structure by analyzing a finite number of simple problems. each element in a finite element analysis is one of these simple problems. 

Each element in a finite element model will have a fixed number of nodes that define the element boundaries to which loads and boundary conditions can be applied. 

The finer the mesh, the closer we can approximate the geometry of the structure, the load application, as well as the stress and strain gradients. however, there is a tradeoff: the finer the mesh, the more computational power is needed to solve the complex problem. The strategy of optimizing the mesh size can greatly reduce an analyst’s time without compromising on the quality of analysis results.