A comparative analysis of scalar and vector fields displacement approximations are set out on the example of finite element calculation of an elliptic cylinder with using of the No- vozhilov theory of thin shells A curvilinear quadrilateral finite element as a fragment of the middle surface of an elliptical cylinder with eighteen degrees of freedom at the node was used. It was shown on numerical examples that the vector approximation being invariant has fun- damental advantages over scalar approximation in the calculation of arbitrary shells

vector approximation, scalar approximation, finite element, an elliptical cylinder.