One Dimensional Functional Equations

The monograph is devoted to the study of functional equations with the transformed argument on the real line and on the unit circle. Such equations systematically arise in dynamical systems, differential equations, probabilities, singularities of smooth mappings, and other areas. The purpose of the book is to present modern methods and new results in the subject, with an emphasis on a connection between local and global solvability. The general concepts developed in the book are applicable to multidimensional functional equations. Some of the methods are presented for the first time in the monograph literature. The book is addressed to graduates and researchers interested in dynamical systems, differential equations, operator theory, or the theory of functions and their applications.

Functions and their properties have been part of the rigorous precollege curriculum for decades. And functional equations have been a favorite topic of the leading national and international mathematical competitions. Yet the subject has not received equal attention by authors at an introductory level. The majority of the books on the topic remain unreachable to the curious and intelligent precollege student. The present book is an attempt to eliminate this disparity. The book opens with a review chapter on functions, which collects the relevant foundational information on functions, plus some material potentially new to the reader. The next chapter presents a working definition of functional equations and explains the difficulties in trying to systematize the theory. With each new chapter, the author presents methods for the solution of a particular group of equations. Each chapter is complemented with many solved examples, the majority of which are taken from mathematical competitions and professional journals. The book ends with a chapter of unsolved problems and some other auxiliary material. The book is an invaluable resource for precollege and college students who want to deepen their knowledge of functions and their properties, for teachers and instructors who wish to enrich their curricula, and for any lover of mathematical problem-solving techniques. In the interest of fostering a greater awareness and appreciation of mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and everyday life, MSRI and the AMS are publishing books in the Mathematical Circles Library series as a service to young people, their parents and teachers, and the mathematics profession.

The monograph is devoted to the study of functional equations with the transformed argument on the real line and on the unit circle. Such equations systematically arise in dynamical systems, differential equations, probabilities, singularities of smooth mappings and other areas. The purpose of the book is to present the modern methods and new results in the subject with an emphasis on a connection between local and global solvability. Some of methods are presented for the first time in the monograph literature. The general concepts developed in the monograph are applicable to multidimensional functional equations.

While easier to solve and accessible to a broader range of students, one-dimensional variational problems and their associated differential equations exhibit many of the same complex behavior of higher-dimensional problems. This book, the first moden introduction, emphasizes direct methods and provides an exceptionally clear view of the underlying theory.

Recently I taught short courses on functional equations at several universities (Barcelona, Bern, Graz, Hamburg, Milan, Waterloo). My aim was to introduce the most important equations and methods of solution through actual (not artifi cial) applications which were recent and with which I had something to do. Most of them happened to be related to the social or behavioral sciences. All were originally answers to questions posed by specialists in the respective applied fields. Here I give a somewhat extended version of these lectures, with more recent results and applications included. As previous knowledge just the basic facts of calculus and algebra are supposed. Parts where somewhat more (measure theory) is needed and sketches of lengthier calcula tions are set in fine print. I am grateful to Drs. J. Baker (Waterloo, Ont.), W. Forg-Rob (Innsbruck, Austria) and C. Wagner (Knoxville, Tenn.) for critical remarks and to Mrs. Brenda Law for care ful computer-typing of the manuscript (in several versions). A note on numbering of statements and references: The numbering of Lemmata, Propositions, Theorems, Corollaries and (separately) formulae starts anew in each section. If quoted in another section, the section number is added, e.g. (2.10) or Theorem 1.2. References are quoted by the last names of the authors and the last two digits of the year, e.g. Daroczy-Losonczi [671. 1 1. An aggregation theorem for allocation problems. Cauchy equation for single-and multiplace functions. Two extension theorems.

Many books have been written on the theory of functional equations, but very few help readers solve functional equations in mathematics competitions and mathematical problem solving. This book fills that gap. Each chapter includes a list of problems associated with the covered material. These vary in difficulty, with the easiest being accessible to any high school student who has read the chapter carefully. The most difficult will challenge students studying for the International Mathematical Olympiad or the Putnam Competition. An appendix provides a springboard for further investigation of the concepts of limits, infinite series and continuity.

Introduction to Functional Equations grew out of a set of class notes from an introductory graduate level course at the University of Louisville. This introductory text communicates an elementary exposition of valued functional equations where the unknown functions take on real or complex values. In order to make the presentation as manageable as p