Coincidence of least uniform deviations of a function from polynomials and rational fractions. (Q1889575)

For any \(f\in C[a,b]\) and any integers \(n,m\geq 0\), denote by \(E_n(f)\) and \(R_{n,m}(f)\) the best uniform approximation of the function \(f\) by polynomials of degree at most \(n\), and by rational functions of the form \(r_{n,m}(x)=p_n(x)/q_m(x)\), where \(p_n\), \(q_m\) are polynomials of degree at most \(n\) and \( m\), respectively. There is proved that, for any nonincreasing sequence \(\{a_n\}_{n=0}^{\infty}\) which tends to zero, of nonnegative real numbers and for any sequences of nonnegative integers \(\{n_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) and \(\{m_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\), satisfying the relation \(n_{k+1}\geq n_k+m_k+1\), \(k=0,1,2,\ldots\), there exists a function \(f\in C[a,b]\) with the property: \(R_{n_k,m_k}(f)=E_{n_k}(f)=a_{n_k}\). Conversely, if for a function \(f\in C[a,b]\), there are the sets of indices \(\{m_j\}_{j=0}^k\) and \(\{m_j\}_{j=0}^k\) such that \(0\leq n_0<\ldots< n_k\), \(E_{n_0}(f)>E_{n_1}(f)>\ldots>E_{n_k}(f)\) and \(R_{n_j,m_j}(f)=E_{n_j}(f)\), for \(j=0,1,\ldots k\), then there is a set \(\{n'_j\}_{j=0}^k\) of nonnegative integers such that \(n'_j\leq n_j\) and \(n'_{j+1}\geq n'_j+m_j+1\), for \(j=0,1,\ldots, k-1\). In the case \(n_k=m_k\) one obtains the optimal result of \textit{A. A. Pekarskiĭ} [Izv. Tekh. Univ. Plovdid 2, 41--44 (1996; Zbl 0867.41007)].