Concavity of solutions of a 2n-th order problem with symmetry

Abstract

In this article we apply an extension of a Leggett-Williams type fixed point theorem to a two-point boundary value problem for a $2n$-th order ordinary differential equation. The fixed point theorem employs concave and convex functionals defined on a cone in a Banach space. Inequalities that extend the notion of concavity to $2n$-th order differential inequalities are derived and employed to provide the necessary estimates. Symmetry is employed in the construction of the appropriate Banach space.