On the attainable order of collocation methods for delay differential equations with proportional delay (Q1577727)

The reviewer [BIT 37, No. 1, 1-12 (1997; Zbl 0873.65126)] showed that if the pantograph differential equation, \[ y'(t)= ay(t)+ by(qt),\quad t\geq 0,\quad y(0)= y_0,\tag{1} \] with \(a=0\) and \(0< q< 1\), is solved by collocation at the Gauss points, using continuous piecewise polynomials of degree \(m\), then the rational function \(R(z;q)\) \((z= bh)\) in \(y_1= R(z; q)y_0\) is not the \((m,m)\)-Padé approximant to the exact solution \(y(t)\) at \(t=h\) when \(m\geq 2\), in sharp contrast to the case \(q= 1\). A similar result holds for the Volterra integral equation analogue of (1) and its iterated collocation solution. The authors of the present paper shows that for any \(m\geq 3\) (the case \(m=2\) was settled in the above-mentioned paper) there exist collocation points depending on \(q\) for which \(R(z; q)\) is the \((m,m)\)-Padé approximant to \(y(h)\). They also resolve a similar conjecture for the pantograph integral equation, as well as analogous ones for the ``\(q\)-version'' of the Radau II points.