Numerical Calculation of Potential Fields

Abstract

Potential fields of technical components and apparatus frequently possess only minor symmetry or none at all and do not lend themselves readily to an analytic solution. Computer-aided numerical methods are more powerful, however, their complexity and the multitude of problem-specific algorithms require high initial efforts to get started. This chapter attempts to introduce the reader to the jargon and concepts of numerical field calculations and to provide some decision aids for the choice of a method.