Limit properties of differential mean values (Q1273697)

Let (the notation of the paper is slightly altered) \((a,x;m;f)=f(a+mx)\), \[ (a,x;m_{1},\ldots,m_{n+1};f)=\frac{(a,x;m_{2},\ldots,m_{n+1};f)-(a,x;m_{1}, \ldots,m_{n};f)}{(m_{n+1}-m_{1})x}, \] where \(0<m_{1}<\ldots<m_{n+1}\leq 1\). By the mean value theorem for divided differences of \(n\)th order there exists an \(\eta(x)\in]a+m_{1}x,a+m_{n+1}x[\) such that \((a,x;m_{1},\ldots,m_{n+1};f)=f^{n}(\eta(x))/n!\) if \(f\) is \(n\) times continuously differentiable on \(]a,a+m_{n+1}]\). The authors offer results on \(\lim_{x\to 0+}(\eta(x)-a)/x\) among others under the condition that \(f\) is \(k\) times differentiable at \(a\) (\(k>n\)) and \(f^{j}(a)=0\) for \(j=n+1,\ldots,k-1\), while \(f^{k}(a)\neq 0\). A similar result is offered for the mean value theorem of \textit{T. M. Flett} [Math. Gaz. 42, 38-39 (1958)].