No label defined (Q4493559)

The author states a new oscillation criterion for general sublinear ordinary differential equations of second order \[ x''(t)+a(t)f\bigl[x(t)\bigr]=0,\quad t\geq t_0, \tag{*} \] with \(a\in C[t_0,\infty)\), \(f\in C(\mathbb{R})\) with \(xf(x)>0\) for \(x\neq 0\) and \(f\) is continuously differentiable on \(\mathbb{R}\setminus\{0\}\) with \(f'(x)\geq 0\) for all \(x\neq 0\). The coefficient \(a(t)\) is allowed to assume negative values and the oscillation criterion involves the average behavior of the integral of \(a\). The oscillation criterion ensures that all solutions to (*) are oscillatory, i.e. any solution which exists on some ray \([t_0,\infty)\) has arbitrary large zeros. In case of the Emden-Fowler equation the obtained criterion improves an oscillation result due to \textit{J. S. W. Wong} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 110, No. 3, 633-637 (1990; Zbl 0715.34060)].