Linear operators satisfying the chain rule (Q795270)

The author begins with describing the functions on which this operators act. If f and g are two real-valued functions with domains contained in R, the real numbers, and \(c\in R\), let \(f+g\), fg, cf, \(f\circ g\), f/g denote the usual pointwise operations of addition, multiplication, scalar multiplication, composition and division, each defined on its natural domain (the largest set on which the resulting formula makes sense). Let F denote any set of real-valued functions with non-empty domains contained in R satisfying the following properties. 1. F is closed under addition, multiplication and scalar multiplication. 2. If f and g are in F, then \(f\circ g\) and f/g are also in F whenever their natural domains are non-empty. 3. i(x)\(\equiv x\) and u(x)\(\equiv 1\) are in F. Observe that any such F is an algebra of real-valued functions which contains the rational functions. A chain rule operator on F is a linear operator, D, on F such that if \(f\circ g\in F\) and (Df)\(\circ g\in F\), then \(D(f\circ g)=((Df)\circ g)(Dg)\). Any linear operator, P, on F which satisfies \(P(fg)=(Pf)g+f(Pg)\) is called a derivation. The major goal of the paper is given by the theorem: Any chain rule operator on F is a derivation on F. The proof of that is based on the lemma, in which a symbol s denotes function \(s(x)=x^ 2:\) If D is a chain rule operator which is not the zero operator, then a) \(Di=u\), b) \(Du=0\), c) \(Ds=ki\) for some \(k\in R\). From the mentioned theorem there are two more following corollaries: 1. If D is a chain rule operator on F, then a) \(D(f/g)=((Df)g-f(Dg))/(s\circ g)\) whenever f/\(g\in F\), b) \((Df^{-1})(f(x))=1/(Df)(x)\) provided (Df)(x)\(\neq 0\). 2. Suppose F contains all the elementary functions and D is a non-trivial chain rule operator such that if \(f\in F\) is differentiable at \(x\in R\), then x is in the domain of Df. Then \(De=de/dx\) whenever e is an elementary function.