Why are there researchers in PDE theory when we can instead build numerical solvers

computational mathematicsnumerical methodspartial differential equationsresearch

I have a bit of a naive question:

Why are there researchers in PDE theory, e.g. people who work on analysis and PDEs, when instead one can spend their research days building numerical solvers to get solutions that are as close to an exact answer as we want?

I could see how maybe 50 – 100 years ago, without computers / computing power, PDE researchers would be theorists and pure mathematicians, but why are there still pure PDE researchers today?

I know many of them win big awards / get lots of recognition, but I don't really understand what they do and why it's important, when we have so much computing power today.

Best Answer

It's saddening to read such a question from an "aspiring $\ldots$ scientist" (according to his profile).

Why should we do trigonometry, or some other kind of geometry, if we can measure lengths or angles with any desired precision using a yardstick or a protractor?

Aren't you aware that the "praised PDE researchers" dig up universal truths, valid for all PDEs of this or that kind, whereas numerical solutions in most cases are about a single problem instance. E.g., how could you find out (let alone prove) by numerically solving millions of ODE's to the highest precision that under certain geometric circumstances there has to be a periodic solution?

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