Approximate derivations of order \(n\) (Q485035)

An additive function \(f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) is a derivation if \[ f(xy) = xf(y) + yf(x)\quad (x \in \mathbb{R}). \] For any function \(f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) and \(\alpha \in \mathbb{R}\) we define the function \[ \delta_{\alpha}f(x) := f(\alpha x) -\alpha f(x) \quad (x \in \mathbb{R}). \] Let \(n \in \mathbb{N}\). An additive function \(f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) is said to be a a derivation of order \(n\) if \(f(1) = 0\) and \(\delta_{\alpha_{1}} \circ \dots\circ \delta_{\alpha_{n + 1}}f(x) = 0\) for \(x, \alpha_{1}, \dots, \alpha_{n+1} \in \mathbb{R}\). A function \(f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) is locally regular if it is bounded on a measurable set of positive measure or it is continuous at a point or if its restriction to a set of positive measure is measurable in the sense of Lebesgue. The author proves that the following two conditions are equivalent: (a) the function \(\alpha \mapsto \delta_{\alpha}^{n + 1}f(1)\) is locally regular (b) \(f\) is of the form \(f(x) = d(x) + f(1)x\), where \(d\) is an \(n\)th order derivation. The difference operator \(\Delta_{h}\) with the span \(h\) of the function \(f\) is defined by \[ \Delta_{h}f(x) := f(x + h) - f(x)\quad (x \in \mathbb{R}). \] Let \(n \in \mathbb{N}\) and \(f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\). Then the function \(\alpha\mapsto\delta_{\alpha}^{n+1}f(1)\) is continuous at least at one point and there exists \(k\in \mathbb{N}\cup \{0\}\) such that \(\Delta_{h}f \in \mathcal{C}^k(\mathbb{R})\) for all \(h \in \mathbb{R}\) if and only if \(f\) is of the form \[ f(x) = d(x) + \lambda x + \gamma(x) \quad (x \in \mathbb{R}), \] where \(d: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) is an \(n\)th derivation, \(\lambda\) is a real number and \(\gamma: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\) is a \(k\)-times continuously differentiable function. Similar results for some other classes of functions are given. An open problem finishes the paper.