Approximation of almost Sahoo-Riedel's points by Sahoo-Riedel's points (Q304026)

A point \(\eta\in(a,b)\) is said to be Flett's point for a function \(f\) on \([a,b]\) if \(f'(\eta)(\eta-a)=f(\eta)-f(a)\). Any differentiable function \(f:[a,b]\to\mathbb R\) has some Flett's point if \(f'(a)=f'(b)\) (so-called Flett's mean value theorem) [\textit{T. M. Flett}, ``A mean value theorem'', Math. Gazette 42, 38--39 (1958)]. An easy corollary (and extension of Flett's result) is that every differentiable function \(f\) has a point \(\eta\in(a,b)\) such that \[ f'(\eta)(\eta-a)-\frac{f'(b)-f'(a)}{b-a}\frac{(x-a)^2}2=f(\eta)-f(a) \] [\textit{P. K. Sahoo} and \textit{T. Riedel}, Mean value theorems and functional equations. Singapore: World Scientific (1998; Zbl 0980.39015)]. Such an \(\eta\) is called Sahoo-Rie\-del's point of \(f\) on \([a,b]\). The main result in the work under review is a stability theorem for Sahoo-Riedel's points: Let \(\eta\) be some Sahoo-Riedel's point for a differentiable \(f\) on \([a,b]\). If the function \[ (a,b]\ni x\mapsto \frac{f(x)-f(a)}{x-a}-f'(x)+\frac{f'(b)-f'(a)}{b-a}\frac{x-a}2 \] changes sign at \(\eta\), then \(\eta\) has the stability property -- namely, for any \(\varepsilon>0\) and any neighbourhood \(N\ni\eta\) there exists a \(\delta>0\) such that for every differentiable function \(h\) on \([a,b]\) such that \(|h(x)-f(x)-f(a)-h(a)|<\delta\) at all \(x\in N\) and \(h'(b)-h'(a)=f'(b)-f'(a)\), there is some Sahoo-Riedel's point \(\xi\in(\eta-\varepsilon,\eta+\varepsilon)\) for \(h\). The result comes with a simple application of the Hyers-Ulam stability theorem.