Multiplicative inverse functional equations. Theory and applications (Q2188818)

The book aims to present results on the stability in the sense of Ulam-Hyers of some functional equations called ``multiplicative inverse''. This terminology comes from the fact that among their solutions there are functions of the form \(u^{-n}\) for a certain positive integer \(n\). The functional equations that are investigated in Chapters 2--7 are of two types depending on the parity of an integer parameter. These equations are: \[ \begin{multlined} m(2u-v)+m(2u-v)\\ =\frac{4m(u)m(v)}{(4m(v)^{2/(2n+1)}-m(u)^{2/(2n+1)})^{(2n+1)}} \cdot \Big[\frac{1}{2}\sum_{k=0}^n \binom{2n+1}{2k}[m(u)]^{2k/(2n+1)}[m(u)]^{(2n+1-2k)/(2n+1)}\Big], \end{multlined} \] and \[ m(2u-v)+m(2u-v)= \frac{4m(u)m(v)}{(4m(v)^{1/n}-m(u)^{1/n})^{2n}}\Big[\sum_{k=0}^n \binom{2n}{2k}[m(u)]^{k/n}[m(u)]^{(n-k)/n}\Big], \] with \(n=6,\dots,12\). No specific motivation is given for studying these equations. It is claimed that the functions \(m(u)=\frac{1}{u^{2n+1}}\) and \(m(u)=\frac{1}{u^{2n}}\), respectively, are solutions of the two above functional equations. Unfortunately a simple check shows that this is not true. In the stability analysis, analogous computational mistakes produce incorrect inequalities that the proofs are based on. The first chapter of the book is an introduction to functional equations and to the problem of stability. However the solutions of simple equations, like the additive Cauchy equation, are not correct in the absence of any regularity of the unknown functions. Moreover, the history of stability sketched there does not mention most of the authors that work and have worked in this field. The language is a very poor English with a strange use of adjectives, like ``inimitable'' mapping for ``unique'' mapping and similar unusual constructions. As a last comment the references do not indicate a sufficient knowledge of the topic. The mathematician who made the greatest contribution to the development and disseminated the study of functional equations, János Aczél, is not even cited. It would be well that young mathematicians that intend to work on functional equations will not be misguided by reading this book.