An approximate solution for differential equation of torsion using Galerkin method

The Galerkin method to solve the differential equation of torsion is presented. Different shapes of cross section are considered.;The method is divided into two parts. The first part is the determination of the trial functions that satisfy the given boundary condition. The second part is the usage of these trial functions in solving for the coefficients of the approximate solution.;The Galerkin method produces results of high accuracy. It can be used to solve problems in fluid mechanics, heat transfer and stress analysis. The application of the method is simple once the trial functions are determined. Also the usefulness of symbolic algebra software is demonstrated.