Geodesics of associated connection (Q677762)

On an \(n\)-dimensional manifold, the author considers a system \(S\) of ordinary differential equations that is locally expressible in the form, in which the \(p\)th order derivatives of \(x^a\) with respect to \(x^1\), \(a=2,\dots,n\), are prescribed as smooth functions of \(x^1,\dots,x^n\) and of the derivatives of \(x^a\) with respect to \(x^1\) up to the order \(p-1\), \(p\geq 3\). She constructs a higher-order connection \(C\) determined by \(S\) and characterizes some properties of the solutions of \(S\) in terms of the geodesic curves of \(C\).