On the asymptotic behaviour of the solutions of a second order linear differential equation with small damping (Q1332976)

The author gives sufficient conditions such that all solutions of the equation \(x'' + a(t)x' + x = 0\) \((a(t)\) bounded), tend to zero as \(t \to \infty\). This is first done when \(a(t)\) is a skillfully constructed step function and then extended to more general \(a(t)\), leading to the following result: If \(\limsup_{t \to \infty} a(t) < 2\) and \(\int^ \infty_ 0 a(t)dt = \infty\), then each solution of the equation \(x'' + {1 \over 2} (a(t) + a(t - \sigma) x' + x = 0\) tends to zero as \(t \to \infty\) for every sufficiently small \(\sigma\). The obtained results are also extended to the equation \(x'' + h(t,x,x') x' + x = 0\).