Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 April 2009
In this paper Lp stability and convergence properties of discrete orthogonal projections on the finite element space Sh of continuous polynomial splines of order r are proved. The discrete inner products are defined by composite quadrature rules with positive weights on a sequence of nonuniform grids. It is assumed that the basic quadrature rule Q has at least r quadrature points in order to resolve Sh, but no accuracy is required. The main results are derived under minimal further assumptions, for example the rule Q is allowed to be non-symmetric, and no quasi-uniformity of the mesh is required. The corresponding stability of the orthogonal L2-projections has been studied by de Boor [1] and by Crouzeix and Thomee [2]. Stability of the first derivative of the projection is also proved, under an assumption (unless p = 1) of local quasi-uniformity of the mesh.