#higher order elements

This work was motivated by the need that may arise during the creation of finite element programs, for higher order elements. The problem of selecting or creating shape functions that satisfy the required need of the problem may be one major problem that stand in the way of the element creation. In this work we present an attempt that points in the direction of creating the element matrices for higher order elements using simple, Lagrange, and modified Lagrange polynomials. The results obtained for the test cases indicate the possibilities and limitations on those attempts. It is concluded that the modifies Lagrange polynomials have a great potential for use in elements with high number of nodes and or high number of DOF per node. Nevertheless, they impose a high computational cost on the element matrices generation.