Written in easy to understand language, this self-explanatory guide introduces the fundamentals of finite element methods and its application to differential equations. Beginning with a brief introduction to Sobolev spaces and elliptic scalar problems, the text progresses through an explanation of finite element spaces and estimates for the interpolation error. The concepts of finite element methods for parabolic scalar parabolic problems, object-oriented finite element algorithms, efficient implementation techniques, and high dimensional parabolic problems are presented in different chapters. Recent advances in finite element methods, including non-conforming finite elements for boundary value problems of higher order and approaches for solving differential equations in high dimensional domains are explained for the benefit of the reader. Numerous solved examples and mathematical theorems are interspersed throughout the text for enhanced learning.