How Many Numerical Eigenvalues can We Trust?

Abstract

When using finite element and finite difference methods to approximate eigenvalues of $2m^{th}$-order elliptic problems, the number of reliable numerical eigenvalues can be estimated in terms of the total degrees of freedom $N$ in resulting discrete systems. The truth is worse than what we used to believe in that the percentage of reliable eigenvalues decreases with an increased $N$, even though the number of reliable eigenvalues increases with $N$.