Characterization of approximately monotone and approximately H\"older functions

Abstract

A real valued function $f$ defined on a real open interval $I$ is called $\Phi$-monotone if, for all $x,y\in I$ with $x\leq y$ it satisfies $$ f(x)\leq f(y)+\Phi(y-x), $$ where $\Phi:[0,\ell(I)[\,\to\mathbb{R}_+$ is a given nonnegative error function, where $\ell(I)$ denotes the length of the interval $I$. If $f$ and $-f$ are simultaneously $\Phi$-monotone, then $f$ is said to be a $\Phi$-H\"older function. In the main results of the paper, using the notions of upper and lower interpolations, we establish a characterization for both classes of functions. This allows one to construct $\Phi$-monotone and $\Phi$-H\"older functions from elementary ones, which could be termed the building blocks for those classes. In the second part, we deduce Ostrowski- and Hermite--Hadamard-type inequalities from the $\Phi$-monotonicity and $\Phi$-H\"older properties, and then we verify the sharpness of these implications. We also establish implications in the reversed direction.