Oscillation for higher order differential equations with a middle term (Q468491)

The authors study the higher order nonlinear differential equation \[ x^{(n)}(t)+q(t)x^{(n-2)}(t)+r(t)f(x(t))=0, \tag{1} \] where \(n\geq 3\), \(f\) and \(r\) are continuous functions (\(r\) is allowed to change sign), \(f\) satisfies the sign condition \(uf(u)>0\) for \(u\neq 0\), \(q\) is a smooth function satisfying \[ q(t)\geq q_0>0, \quad \int_0^\infty |q'(t)|\,dt<\infty. \] Following an idea of \textit{I. T. Kiguradze} [Differ. Uravn. 28, No. 2, 207--219 (1992; Zbl 0768.34018)] for \(q(t)\equiv 1\), equation (1) is viewed as a perturbation of \[ x^{(n)}(t)+q(t)x^{(n-2)}(t)=0. \tag{2} \] The authors derive general integral conditions on the coefficients of the equation which ensure that {\parindent=0.5cm\begin{itemize} \item[a)] equation (1) does not have nontrivial solution vanishing at infinity, \item [b)] equation(2) has a bounded oscillatory solution which does not vanish at infinity, \item [c)] equation(1) has a solution of the form \(x(t)=c_0+c_1 u(t)+\varepsilon(t)\) if \(n\) is even and \(x(t)=c_0+c_1 u'(t)+\varepsilon(t)\) if \(n\) is odd, where \(\varepsilon(t)\) vanishes at infinity, \(c_{0,1}\) are arbitrary real numbers and \(u\) is a solution of \[ u''(t)+q(t)u(t)=0 \] and thus (1) also has a bounded oscillatory solution which does not vanish at infinity, \item [d)] equation (2) is asymptotically equivalent to the equation of the same type as (1) with \(f\equiv 1\). \end{itemize}}