On monotone solutions of some classes of difference equations (Q2491491)

Assume that \(\alpha_{i} \geq 0\) \(i = 0,\ldots,k-1,\) \(\sum_{i=0}^{k-1}\alpha_{i} = 1.\) The main result of this paper is the proof that 1) if \(p > -1,\) the equation \[ x_{n+1} = p + \frac{x_{n-k}}{\sum_{i=0}^{k-1}\alpha_{i}x_{n-i}} \quad (n = 0,1,\ldots) \] has a positive solution which remains above the equilibrium \(\overline x_{1} = p+1\); \noindent 2) the equation \[ x_{n+1} = \frac{1+x_{n-k}}{\sum_{i=0}^{k-1}\alpha_{i}x_{n-i}} \quad (n = 0,1,\ldots) \] has a nontrivial positive solution which decreases to the equilibrium \(\overline x_{2} = (1 + \sqrt 5)/2;\) \noindent 3) if \(\alpha > 0,\) the equation \[ x_{n+1} =\frac{\alpha + x_{n-k}}{\sum_{i=0}^{k-1}\alpha_{i}x_{n-i}} \quad (n = 0,1,\ldots) \] has a nontrivial positive solution which decreases to the equilibrium \(\overline x_{3} = \sqrt \alpha\). \noindent This solves positively some earlier conjectures.