We describe and analyze two numerical methods for a linear elliptic problem with stochastic coefficients and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. Here the aim of the computations is to approximate statistical moments of the solution, and, in particular, we give a priori error estimates for the computation of the expected value of the solution. The first method generates independent identically distributed approximations of the solution by sampling the coefficients of the equation and using a standard Galerkin finite element variational formulation. The Monte Carlo method then uses these approximations to compute corresponding sample averages. The second method is based on a finite dimensional approximation of the stochastic coefficients, turning the original stochastic problem into a deterministic parametric elliptic problem. A Galerkin finite element method, of either the h-or p-version, then approximates the corresponding deterministic solution, yielding approximations of the desired statistics. We present a priori error estimates and include a comparison of the computational work required by each numerical approximation to achieve a given accuracy. This comparison suggests intuitive conditions for an optimal selection of the numerical approximation.

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Adaptive time-stepping methods based on the Monte Carlo Euler method for weak approximation of Itô stochastic differential equations are developed. The main result is new expansions of the computational error, with computable leading-order term in a posteriori form, based on stochastic flows and discrete dual backward problems. The expansions lead to efficient and accurate computation of error estimates. Adaptive algorithms for either stochastic time steps or deterministic time steps are described. Numerical examples illustrate when stochastic and deterministic adaptive time steps are superior to constant time steps and when adaptive stochastic steps are superior to adaptive deterministic steps. Stochastic time steps use Brownian bridges and require more work for a given number of time steps. Deterministic time steps may yield more time steps but require less work; for example, in the limit of vanishing error tolerance, the ratio of the computational error and its computable estimate tends to 1 with negligible additional work to determine the adaptive deterministic time steps.

to a problem independent factor defined in the algorithm. Numerical examples illustrate the behavior of the adaptive algorithms, motivating when stochastic and deterministic adaptive time steps are more efficient than constant time steps and when adaptive stochastic steps are more efficient than adaptive deterministic steps.