The document discusses the method of weighted residuals for solving boundary value problems. It begins by introducing the method and describing how it uses trial functions and integral formulations to minimize error over the problem domain. Several examples are then provided to illustrate the Galerkin finite element method of weighted residuals. Trial functions are chosen to satisfy boundary conditions and the problem physics, and weighting functions are set equal to the trial functions. This leads to algebraic equations that can be solved to determine the coefficients of the approximate solution.