Comparison theorems of Hille-Wintner type for disconjugate linear differential equations (Q2266155)

Comparison theorems are obtained for two differential equations of the form (1) \(L_ ny+py=0\), where \(L_ n\) is defined successively by \[ (2)\quad L_ 0y=r_ 0(x)y,\quad L_ iy=r_ i(x)(d/dx)L_{i-1}y,\quad i=1,...,n. \] The functions \(r_ 0,...,r_ n\) are assumed to be continuous and positive, and p is continuous and of constant sign on [a,\(\infty)\). Furthermore, the integral conditions \(\int^{\infty}r^{- 1}(x)dx=\infty\), \(i=1,...,n-1\), are assumed without loss of generality. Equation (1) is said to be k-(n-k) disfocal on an interval I if for every pair of points b,c\(\in I\), \(b<c\), the only solution satisfying the conditions \(L_ 0y(b)=...=L_{k-1}y(b)=0=L_ ky(c)=...=L_{n-1}y(c)\) is the trivial one. The main theorem establishes conditions under which the following statement holds: If Equation (1) is k-(n-k) disfocal on (a,\(\infty)\), so is the equation (3) \(\tilde L_ nw=qw=0\), where \(\tilde L_ n\) is defined as in (2) with the \(r_ i's\) replaced by functions \(\rho_ i's\), i.e., \(\tilde L_ 0w=\rho_ 0w\), \(\tilde L_ iw=\rho_ i(x)(d/dx)\tilde L_{i-1}w\), \(i=1,...,n\). It should be remarked that this result allows comparison of two equations (1) and (3) where the differential operator \(L_ n\) is not necessarily equal to \(\tilde L_ n\). Much more general theorems unifying many published results have since been obtained by the author, which will shortly appear in J. Math. Anal. Appl.