From a theorem of R. Ger and T. Kochanek to marginal joints of means (Q264179)

The authors improve their recent result given in [\textit{W.-S. Cheung} et al., JIPAM, J. Inequal. Pure Appl. Math. 7, No. 1, Paper No. 10, 8 p. (2006; Zbl 1182.26045)] concerning Jessen's inequality of Mercer's type for convex functions. The obtained results are used to refine the upper bound for the Jessen difference presented in [\textit{J. Pečarić} and \textit{J. Perić}, J. Math. Inequal. 6, No. 4, 631--636 (2012; Zbl 1257.26024)]. A generalization of the Jessen-Mercer inequality for convex functions on convex hulls in \(\mathbb R^k\) is presented, too. In addition, an elegant method of producing \(n\)-exponentially convex and exponentially convex functions with the Jessen-Mercer differences and applications to the Stolarsky type means are given. Answering a problem posed by the first author in \textit{P. Stadler} (ed.) [Aequationes Math. 89, No. 6, 1509--1551 (2015; Zbl 1331.00039)] in connection with the result of \textit{R. Ger} and \textit{T. Kochanek} in [Colloq. Math. 115, No. 1, 87--99 (2009; Zbl 1168.39006)], the authors present some counterexamples showing that if a mean \(M\) defined on an interval \(I\) is not quasi-arithmetic, then a solution \(f:I\rightarrow\mathbb R\) of the equation \[ f(M(x,y))=f(x)+\frac{f(y)}{2} \] need not be a constant function. Among them are those that remain in force if a mean is strict. The case when a mean is strict and continuous is still open. On the other hand, one of the means appearing in such type of examples has the following form: \[ M(x,y)=\begin{cases}\frac{x+y}{2} &\text{ if }0<x,y<1, \\ \frac{x+1}{2} &\text{ if }0<x<1\leq y, \\ \frac{1+y}{2} &\text{ if }0<y<1\leq x, \\ m(x,y) & \text{ if }1\leq x,y,\end{cases} \] where \(m\) is any strict mean. It becomes a starting point for the notion of marginal joints of means and provides a pretty wide class of means extending two given means on adjacent intervals.