Optimal order spline methods for nonlinear differential and integro-differential equations (Q1294559)

The authors analyze new robust spline approximation methods for \(m\)th order boundary value problems described by nonlinear ordinary differential and integro-differential equations with \(m\) linear boundary conditions. They introduce a cost-effective alternative to the orthogonal collocation method and prove stability and convergence properties similar to the orthogonal collocation method. Due to extra smoothness on the approximate solution, they are able to reduce the number of unknown variables. This is a significant reduction for complex nonlinear problems. The orthogonal collocation method may be obtained from the present method by changing a few parameters. The results are applied to a concrete example.