Finite element approximation of the Hardy constant

We consider finite element approximations to the optimal constant for the Hardy inequality with exponent $p=2$ in bounded domains of dimension $n=1$ or $n\ge 3$. For finite element spaces of piecewise linear and continuous functions on a mesh of size $h$, we prove that the approximate Hardy constant converges to the optimal Hardy constant at a rate proportional to $1\mathrm{/}\mathrm{\mid }\log h{\mathrm{\mid }}^2$. This result holds in dimension $n=1$, in any dimension $n\ge 3$ if the domain is the unit ball and the finite element discretization exploits the rotational symmetry of the problem, and in dimension $n=3$ for general finite element discretizations of the unit ball. In the first two cases, our estimates show excellent quantitative agreement with values of the discrete Hardy constant obtained computationally.