These expressions are second-order accurate, which implies that halving the timestep should approximately quarter the error in the approximation.

The equations that govern the dynamic response of a structure can be derived by requiring the work of external forces to be absorbed by the work of internal, inertial and damping forces for any small, kinematically admissible motion.

According to McGuire and Gallagher (1979), the equations embodied by the Euler-Bernoulli stiffness matrix are sufficient for the analysis of the large majority of the frameworks encountered in structural-engineering practice.