Positive solutions to a fourth order three point boundary value problem (Q2380908)

The paper is devoted to the study of the equation \[ u^{\prime\prime\prime\prime}\left(t\right)=g\left(t\right)f\left(u\left(t\right)\right), \quad 0\leq t\leq1, \] together with the three-point boundary conditions \[ u\left(0\right)=u^\prime\left(0\right)=u^{\prime\prime}\left(\beta\right)=u^{\prime\prime}\left(1\right)=0, \] where \(\beta\in\left[2/3,1\right)\) is a constant and the functions \(f\) and \(g\) are continuous and nonnegative. The main results concern the existence of positive solutions in any of the cases when \(BF_0<1<Af_\infty\) or \(BF_\infty<1<Af_0\) and the nonexistence of such solutions when either \(Bf\left(x\right)<x\) or \(Af\left(x\right)>x\) for all \(x>0\). Here, \(A\) and \(B\) are constants determined by the data of the problem and \(f_0=\liminf_{x\rightarrow0^+}{\left(f\left(x\right)/x\right)}\), \(F_0=\limsup_{x\rightarrow0^+}{\left(f\left(x\right)/x\right)}\), \(f_\infty=\liminf_{x\rightarrow+\infty}{\left(f\left(x\right)/x\right)}\) and \(F_\infty=\limsup_{x\rightarrow+\infty}{\left(f\left(x\right)/x\right)}\). An example shows that the existence-nonexistence conditions are sharp and consistent. The proof is based on Krasnosel'skii fixed point theorem and a priori estimates for the solutions.