Stability properties of functional equations describing the scientific laws (Q920308)

The paper deals with a problem of stability for a functional equation occurring in the theory of dimensional analysis and in economics. Let X be a set, \({\mathcal L}\) an amenable group of self-mappings of X and let u: \(X\to {\mathbb{K}}\), \(\alpha: {\mathcal L}\to {\mathbb{K}}\), \(\beta: X\to {\mathbb{K}}\) be functions (\({\mathbb{K}}\) denotes either the real or the complex field). The main result of the paper reads as follows: if the function (L,x)\(\to u(Lx)-\alpha (L)u(x)-\beta (L)\) is bounded on \({\mathcal L}\times X\), then either u is bounded, or (i) \(\alpha (LN)=\alpha (L)\alpha (N)\) (L,N\(\in {\mathcal L})\) (ii) \(\beta\)- \(\phi\) is bounded, with some \(\phi: {\mathcal L}\to {\mathbb{K}}\) satisfying the equation \(u(Lx)=\alpha (L)u(x)+\phi (L)\), (iii) \(u-u_ 0\) is bounded, with some \(u_ 0: X\to {\mathbb{K}}\) satisfying the equation \(u_ 0(Lx)=\alpha (L)u_ 0(x)+\phi (L)\); moreover, if \(\alpha\) is unbounded then \(u=u_ 0\).