pith. sign in
theorem

dAlembert_to_ODE_general_theorem

proved
show as:
module
IndisputableMonolith.Cost.FunctionalEquation
domain
Cost
line
882 · github
papers citing
10 papers (below)

plain-language theorem explainer

A smooth function H obeying the d'Alembert equation H(t+u) + H(t-u) = 2 H(t) H(u) for all real t,u satisfies the ODE H''(t) = H''(0) H(t). Recognition Science workers cite this when converting the T5 cost uniqueness problem into an ODE whose solutions are multiples of cosh. The argument first extracts twice differentiability from the C^∞ hypothesis, equates the second derivatives at zero of both sides of the functional equation after fixing t, and matches the resulting coefficients via direct computation of the chain-rule derivatives.

Claim. Let $H:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}$ be infinitely differentiable. If $H(t+u)+H(t-u)=2H(t)H(u)$ holds for all real $t,u$, then the second derivative satisfies $H''(t)=H''(0)\cdot H(t)$ for every real $t$.

background

The module supplies functional-equation lemmas that support the T5 J-uniqueness argument. Here H is the shifted cost reparametrization H_F(t)=G_F(t)+1; the sibling definition in CostAlgebra states that the shifted cost H(x)=J(x)+1 equals ½(x+x^{-1}) and converts the Recognition Composition Law into the displayed d'Alembert equation.

Upstream CostAlgebra.H records that this H satisfies H(xy)+H(x/y)=2H(x)H(y). The present theorem supplies the un-normalized ODE bridge; its normalized sibling assumes the extra datum H''(0)=1.

proof idea

The tactic proof first obtains ContDiff ℝ 2 H and Differentiable ℝ (deriv H) from the C^∞ hypothesis. It fixes t, equates the two sides of the functional equation, and shows that their second derivatives at zero coincide. The left-hand side is differentiated twice using HasDerivAt on the shifts t+u and t-u together with the chain rule; this produces the factor 2 deriv(deriv H) t. The right-hand side is differentiated twice by the product rule and yields 2 H(t) deriv(deriv H) 0. Equating the two expressions and rearranging finishes the argument.

why it matters

The result supplies the general ODE bridge invoked by dAlembert_to_ODE_general and aczel_kannappan_via_cases inside AxiomDischargePlan. Those theorems assemble the case analysis that discharges the Aczél–Kannappan axiom for the T5 uniqueness step. The derivation therefore links the Recognition Composition Law directly to the differential equation whose solutions are scalar multiples of cosh, the form required by J-uniqueness at T5.

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