Next Article in Journal
Robust Design of Two-Level Non-Integer SMC Based on Deep Soft Actor-Critic for Synchronization of Chaotic Fractional Order Memristive Neural Networks
Previous Article in Journal
Experimental Study on the Impact of High-Frequency Vibration Excitation on Coal Fracturing
Previous Article in Special Issue
Fractional Hermite–Hadamard, Newton–Milne, and Convexity Involving Arithmetic–Geometric Mean-Type Inequalities in Hilbert and Mixed-Norm Morrey Spaces q(·)(Mp(·),v(·)) with Variable Exponents
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Improved Hermite–Hadamard Inequality Bounds for Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integrals via Jensen’s Inequality

by
Muhammad Aamir Ali
1,
Wei Liu
1,*,
Shigeru Furuichi
2,3 and
Michal Fečkan
4,5,*
1
School of Mathematics, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
2
Department of Information Science College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University 3-25-40, Sakurajyousui, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8550, Japan
3
Department of Mathematics Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS Thandalam, Chennai 602105, Tamilnadu, India
4
Department of Mathematical Analysis and Numerical Analysis, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava, Slovakia
5
Institute of Mathematics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefánikova 49, 814 73 Bratislava, Slovakia
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Fractal Fract. 2024, 8(9), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8090547
Submission received: 18 August 2024 / Revised: 15 September 2024 / Accepted: 17 September 2024 / Published: 20 September 2024

Abstract

:
This paper derives the sharp bounds for Hermite–Hadamard inequalities in the context of Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals. A generalization of Jensen’s inequality called the Jensen–Mercer inequality is used for general points to find the new and refined bounds of fractional Hermite–Hadamard inequalities. The existing Hermite–Hadamard inequalities in classical or fractional calculus have been proved for convex functions, typically involving only two points as in Jensen’s inequality. By applying the general points in Jensen–Mercer inequalities, we extend the scope of the existing results, which were previously proved for two points in the Jensen’s inequality or the Jensen–Mercer inequality. The use of left and right Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals in inequalities is challenging because of the general values involved in the Jensen–Mercer inequality, which we overcame by considering different cases. The use of the Jensen–Mercer inequality for general points to prove the refined bounds is a very interesting finding of this work, because it simultaneously generalizes many existing results in fractional and classical calculus. The application of these new results is demonstrated through error analysis of numerical integration formulas. To show the validity and significance of the findings, various numerical examples are tested. The numerical examples clearly demonstrate the significance of this new approach, as using more points in the Jensen–Mercer inequality leads to sharper bounds.

1. Introduction

Jensen’s Inequality (JI) has a big role in pure and applied mathematics. Particularly in probability theory, JI is useful in establishing bounds for variances and expectations [1]. In optimization theory, JI is useful in algorithms involving the gradient descent method [2], and in information theory it is helpful for establishing inequalities involving mutual information and entropy [3]. The applications of JI can be found in mathematical analysis and economics [4,5,6,7]. JI is defined for a convex function Ƒ : λ 1 , λ 2 R as:
Ƒ j = 1 n w j x j j = 1 n w j Ƒ x j ,
where w j 0 , 1 , j = 1 n w j = 1 , and x j λ 1 , λ 2 , j = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n . Another extension of inequality (1) can be found in [8].
Mercer [9] also provided a new variant of inequality (1) as well as the following inequality for convex function Ƒ : λ 1 , λ 2 R :
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 j = 1 n w j x j Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ x j ,
where w j 0 , 1 , j = 1 n w j = 1 , and x j λ 1 , λ 2 , j = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n . The inequality (2) is known as the Jensen–Mercer inequality and some extensions of this inequality are also provided for convex and general convex functions in [10,11].
In [12], the authors provided a new extension of the single inequality (2) in the form of double inequality for a convex function Ƒ : λ 1 , λ 2 R as follows:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j ,
where a * = j = 1 n w j a j , s , w j 0 , 1 , j = 1 n w j = 1 , and a j λ 1 , λ 2 , j = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n .
From inequality (3), one can observe that there is another term that lies between the left and right part of the inequality (2). These findings are very interesting and significant in the field of convex analysis. The inequality (3) may achieve more sharp bounds compared with the inequalities (1) and (2).
In JI (1), if we set n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 , a 1 = λ 1 , and a 2 = λ 2 , then we have the following inequality:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 2 1 λ 2 λ 1 λ 1 λ 2 Ƒ x d x Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 2 .
The inequality (4) is known as the Hermite–Hadamard inequality. This inequality has many applications in different areas of mathematics particularly in the field of error analysis of numerical integration formulas [6,7].
The following extension of the inequality (4) was given in [13] by using the Jensen–Mercer inequality (2) with n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 and a 1 < a 2 :
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a 1 + a 2 2 1 a 2 a 1 λ 1 + λ 2 a 2 λ 1 + λ 2 a 1 Ƒ u d u Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a 1 + Ƒ a 2 2 .
The inequality (5) is convertible to (4) if we set x 1 = λ 1 and x 2 = λ 2 .
In [12], the authors used the double inequality (3) and proved the following more general Hermite–Hadamard inequality:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j a * a j λ 1 + λ 2 a * λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ u d u Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
The inequality (6) provides inequality (5) if we set n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 and a 1 < a 2 . One can easily understand that the double inequality (6) is a generalization of both inequalities (4) and (5).
The authors of [12] also proved the following inequalities by using the double inequality (3):
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 j = 1 n w j a * a j λ 1 + λ 2 a * λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ u d u Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j ,
and
Ƒ a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a * + a j 2 j = 1 n w j a * a j a j a * Ƒ u d u j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
The inequalities (7) and (8) are very interesting because they provide sharper left bounds compared to (4)–(6), which serves as the main motivation for establishment (7) and (8).
On the other hand, fractional calculus is a branch of mathematical analysis that extends the concept of ordinary derivatives and integrals. This generalization allows us to model more complex phenomena that cannot be captured by integer-order derivatives and integrals [14,15].
There are many fractional integrals and derivatives, but the Riemann–Liouville fractional integral is widely used and can be defined as follows:
Definition 1 
([14,15]). Let Ƒ be the Lebesgue integrable on λ 1 , λ 2 , the left and right Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals of order β > 0 are
J λ 1 + β R L Ƒ x = 1 Γ β λ 1 x x s β 1 Ƒ s d s , x > λ 1
and
J λ 2 β R L Ƒ x = 1 Γ β x λ 2 s x β 1 Ƒ s d s , x < λ 2 ,
respectively, where Γ is the well-known Gamma function.
There are many applications of fractional calculus in different areas of mathematics. To find the error bounds for numerical integration formulas in fractional calculus, Sarikaya [16] provided the fractional version of the inequality (4) which was later used to find the error bounds of the trapezoidal formula [16], midpoint formula [17], Simpson’s formula [18], Newton’s formula [19], and many more [20,21,22]. The Hermite–Hadamard inequality for fractional integrals is stated as follows:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 2 Γ β + 1 2 λ 2 λ 1 β J λ 1 + β R L Ƒ λ 2 + J λ 2 β R L Ƒ λ 1 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 2 .
The fractional version of (5), using the Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals, was established in [23], and is called the fractional Hermite–Hadamard–Mercer inequality. The fractional Hermite–Hadmaard–Mercer inequality is stated as follows:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 Γ β + 1 2 x 2 x 1 β J λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ x 1 + Ƒ x 2 2 .
To the best of our knowledge, the fractional version of Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities (6), (7), and (8) using the Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals have not been established so far. So, inspired by the above literature and their applications, we establish the fractional variants of Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities (6), (7) and (8) using the Jensen–Mercer inequality (3) for general values of n in the context of Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals. The newly proposed inequalities are not only the generalization of all the aforementioned inequalities, rather the bounds are also better than all of the aforementioned inequalities. In the newly established inequalities, one can improve the lower and upper bounds for different values of fractional parameters and values of n used in new inequalities because of (3). To show the applications of these new results, we provide some general error bounds for numerical integration formulas that can be useful for approximating the integrals, particularly in the finite volume method. We also show the validity and efficiency of the results through numerical examples for different values of n and the fractional parameter β > 0 .
The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 derives three new Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities for Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals via double inequality (3). In Section 3, we establish an integral identity first and then prove the general error bounds of numerical integration formulas for convex functions. Section 4 is devoted to the numerical examples to prove the validity and efficiency of the newly established inequalities in Section 2 and Section 3. We conclude the work in Section 5 and provide future directions.

2. Main Results

In this section, we prove some new inequalities of Hermite–Hadamard and Mercer-type for the general values of n in the modified form of Jensen–Mercer inequality (3) using Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals. These results are very crucial in fractional calculus because we need to consider the definitions of left and right Riemann–Liouville fractional integrals, which depend on the relationship between a * and a j s λ 1 , λ 2 . These concepts will be discussed in detail in this section.
Theorem 1. 
Let Ƒ be a convex function over a real interval λ 1 , λ 2 , then the following double inequalities hold:
  • If a * a i for any i = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n 1 , there is a possibility a i < a * < a i + 1 . Then, we have the following inequality for a i < a * < a i + 1
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 i w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = i + 1 n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
  • If a * = a j , which is possible for odd n when a j s has an equal distance and w j 1 = w j for every j, then
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n 1 2 w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = n + 3 2 n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j ,
where a * = j = 1 n w j a j , a * , a j λ 1 , λ 2 with a j a j 1 , w j 0 , 1 and j = 1 n w j = 1 .
Proof. 
As the given Ƒ is a convex function and from inequality (3), we have
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * = Ƒ j = 1 n w j λ 1 + λ 2 ( 1 s ) a * + s a j j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 ( 1 s ) a * + s a j = j = 1 n w j Ƒ 1 s λ 1 + λ 2 a * + s λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = 1 n w j 1 s Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + s Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = 1 n w j [ 1 s Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a * + s Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a j ] .
Now, from definition of a * , we have
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 ( 1 s ) a * + s a j = j = 1 n w j Ƒ 1 s λ 1 + λ 2 a * + s λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
Multiplying (14) by s β 1 and integrating the resultant one over 0 , 1 , we have
1 β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j 0 1 s β 1 Ƒ 1 s λ 1 + λ 2 a * + s λ 1 + λ 2 a j d s 1 β Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
Here, in the middle part of the inequality, we have the following possible cases because of the relationship between a * and a j s , as follows:
  • a n is always greater than a * and a 1 is always less than a * , but there is a possibility of a * a i for any i = 1 , 2 , 3 n 1 , then for the case a i < a * < a i + 1 , we have
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 i w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = i + 1 n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
  • If n is odd, there is a possibility of single value a * = a j whenever a j s has uniform mesh with w j 1 = w j for every j and that particular value is a n + 1 2 , then
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n 1 2 w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = n + 3 2 n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j
Thus, the proof is completed. □
Remark 1. 
For the case a * = a j , there are many more possibilities with any j = 2 , 3 , , n 1 , but that particular number can appear for a particular case. In general, if
a j = w 1 a 1 + w 2 a 2 + + w j 1 a j 1 + w j + 1 a j + 1 + + w n a n w 1 + w 2 + + w i 1 + w i + 1 + w n ,
then, a j = a * a j w j 1 w j , which implies that a * = w j a j + ( 1 w j ) a j = a j . Thus, this case can only be addressed with respect to the specific value of j to support Theorem 1 and the forthcoming theorems.
Remark 2. 
If we use n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 with a 1 = x 1 and a 2 = x 2 in Theorem 1, then we have the following inequality
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 1 x 1 + x 2 2 2 β 1 Γ β + 1 x 2 x 1 β J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ x + Ƒ y 2 .
These inequalities are already proved in Theorem 2 [24].
Remark 3. 
If we set β = 1 , in Theorem 1, then we recapture the inequality (6).
Remark 4. 
It is important to mention here that one can establish new inequalities for different values of n and w j s in Theorem 1.
Theorem 2. 
Let Ƒ be a convex function over a real interval λ 1 , λ 2 , then the following double inequalities hold:
  • If a * a i for any i = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n 1 , there is a possibility a i < a * < a i + 1 . Then, we have the following inequality for a i < a * < a i + 1
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 j = 1 i w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j + j = i + 1 n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
  • If a * = a j , which is possible for odd n when a j s has an equal distance and w j 1 = w j for every j, then
    Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2 j = 1 n 1 2 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j + j = n + 3 2 n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2 ,
where a * = j = 1 n w j a j , a * , a j λ 1 , λ 2 with a j a j 1 , w j 0 , 1 and j = 1 n w j = 1 .
Proof. 
As Ƒ is a convex functions and a * , a j λ 1 , λ 2 , we have
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 1 s a * + s a j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 .
Multiplying (18) by s β 1 and integrating the result over 0 , 1 , we have
1 β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 1 2 0 1 s β 1 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s + 0 1 s β 1 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 1 s a * + s a j d s Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 β .
Here, in the middle part of the inequality, we have the following possible cases because of the relationship between a * and a j s , as follows:
  • a n is always greater than a * and a 1 is always less than a * but there is a possibility of a * a i for any i = 1 , 2 , 3 n 1 , then for the case a i < a * < a i + 1 , we have
    j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 j = 1 i w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j + j = i + 1 n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2
  • For the case a i = a * , we follow the same method used in Theorem 1 and we have
    j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2 j = 1 n 1 2 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j + j = n + 3 2 n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a n + 1 2
Now, it is easy to understand for a convex function Ƒ and from inequality (3)
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * = Ƒ j = 1 n w j λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + a j 2
and the definition of a * , we have
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j + Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 = Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
Thus, we obtain the required results by combining the inequalities (19)–(22). □
Remark 5. 
If we set β = 1 , in Theorem 2, then we recapture the inequality (7).
Corollary 1. 
If we set n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 with a 1 = x 1 and a 2 = x 2 in Theorem 2, then we have the following new inequality:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 3 x 1 + x 2 2 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + 3 x 2 2 Γ β + 1 2 2 β x 2 x 1 β J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 2 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ x 1 + Ƒ x 2 2 .
These inequalities are also new in the literature, the inequalities proved in Theorem 2.3 [23] and Theorem 2 [24] can be obtained as a special case of our inequalities.
Theorem 3. 
Let Ƒ be a convex function over a real interval λ 1 , λ 2 , then the following double inequalities hold:
  • If a * a i for any i = 1 , 2 , 3 , , n 1 , there is a possibility for particular i, a i < a * < a i + 1 . Then, we have the following inequality for a i < a * < a i + 1
    Ƒ a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a * + a j 2 j = 1 i w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J a * β R L Ƒ a j + J a j + β R L Ƒ a * + j = i + 1 n w i Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J a * + β R L Ƒ a j + J a j β R L Ƒ a * Ƒ a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j .
  • If a * = a j which is only possible for odd n when a j s has equal distance and w j 1 = w j for every j, then
    Ƒ a * w n + 1 2 Ƒ a n + 1 2 + Ƒ a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a * + a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ a n + 1 2 + Ƒ a * j = 1 n 1 2 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J a * β R L Ƒ a j + J a j + β R L Ƒ a * + j = n + 3 2 n w i Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J a * + β R L Ƒ a j + J a j β R L Ƒ a * Ƒ a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 w n + 1 2 Ƒ a n + 1 2 + Ƒ a * j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j w n + 1 2 Ƒ a n + 1 2 + Ƒ a * ,
where a * = j = 1 n w j a j , a * , a j λ 1 , λ 2 with a j a j 1 , w j 0 , 1 and j = 1 n w j = 1 .
Proof. 
The proof of this theorem is the same as the proof of Theorem 2. □
Remark 6. 
If we set β = 1 , in Theorem 3, then we recapture the inequality (8).
Corollary 2. 
If we set n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 with a 1 = x 1 and a 2 = x 2 in Theorem 3, then we have the following new inequality:
Ƒ x 1 + x 2 2 1 2 Ƒ 3 x 1 + x 2 4 + Ƒ x 1 + 3 x 2 4 Γ β + 1 2 β 2 x 2 x 1 β J x 1 + x 2 2 β R L Ƒ x 1 + J x 1 + x 2 2 + β R L Ƒ x 2 + J x 2 β R L Ƒ x 1 + x 2 2 + J x 1 + β R L Ƒ x 1 + x 2 2 Ƒ x 1 + x 2 2 + 1 2 Ƒ x 1 + Ƒ x 2 2 Ƒ x 1 + Ƒ x 2 2 .

3. Application in Numerical Integration Formulas

This section establishes the error bounds from numerical integration formulas in fractional calculus. The error bounds proved in this section generalize the existing bounds and new bounds are sharper than the existing ones. We will use the results proved in Theorem 2 to establish the bounds, we only will consider one case of Theorem 2 and the rest of the cases are the same.
Let us start with the following lemma.
Lemma 1. 
Let Ƒ : λ 1 , λ 2 R be a differentiable function over a , b . If Ƒ is a Lebesgue integrable on λ 1 , λ 2 , then we have the following fractional integrals equality:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 j = 1 i 1 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = i n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j = j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 s β 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s + j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 s β 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s ,
where a * = j = 1 n w j a j , a * , a j λ 1 , λ 2 with a j a j 1 , w j 0 , 1 and j = 1 n w j = 1 .
Proof. 
From (23), we have
j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 s β 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s + j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 s β 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s = j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s + j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s = I 1 + I 2 + I 3 + I 4 .
Througb basic computations and the integration of parts, we have
I 1 = j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s = j = 1 i 1 w j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j β 0 1 s β 1 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s = j = 1 i 1 w j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * .
Similarly, we have
I 2 = j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 0 1 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a j + 1 s a * d s = j = 1 i 1 w j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j ,
I 3 = j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s = j = i n w j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j ,
I 4 = j = i n w j a j a * 2 0 1 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 s a * + 1 s a j d s = j = i n w j 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * .
After using (25)–(28) in (24) and the fact that j = 1 n w j = 1 , we obtain the required equality (23). □
Theorem 4. 
Under the conditions of Lemma 1, if Ƒ is a convex function over an interval λ 1 , λ 2 , then we have have the following error bound:
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 j = 1 i 1 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = i n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j β + 1 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a j + Ƒ a * 2 + j = i n w j a j a * β + 1 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a j + Ƒ a * 2 .
Proof. 
Taking modulus in equality (23), using the convexity of Ƒ and inequality (3), we have
Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j 2 j = 1 i 1 w j Γ β + 1 2 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = i n w j Γ β + 1 2 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + J λ 1 + λ 2 a * β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a j j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j 2 × 0 1 s β + 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 s Ƒ a j + 1 s Ƒ a * d s + j = i n w j a j a * 2 × 0 1 s β + 1 s β Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 s Ƒ a * + 1 s Ƒ a j d s = j = 1 i 1 w j a * a j β + 1 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a j + Ƒ a * 2 + j = i n w j a j a * β + 1 Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ a j + Ƒ a * 2 .
Thus, the proof is completed. □
Corollary 3. 
If we set n = 2 , w 1 = w 2 = 1 2 with a 1 = x 1 and a 2 = x 2 in Theorem 3, then we have the following error bounds for the Bullen formula:
1 2 Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 2 Γ β + 1 2 2 β x 2 x 1 β J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 2 + R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 + J λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 x 1 + x 2 2 x 2 x 1 4 1 + β 2 Ƒ λ 1 + 2 Ƒ λ 2 Ƒ x 1 + Ƒ x 2 + 2 Ƒ x 1 + x 2 2 2 .

4. Numerical Examples

In this section, we demonstrate the validity and value of the results. We show the significance of this new approach in proving Hermite–Hadamard inequality in fractional calculus. We also show the value of using fractional integrals, which generalize classical integrals. For the sake of brevity, the following notations are used in the next tables and figures. These notations are used for Theorem 1:
E 1 = j = 1 i 1 w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * + j = i n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * , E 2 = Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j j = 1 i 1 w j Γ β + 1 a * a j β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * j = i n w j Γ β + 1 a j a * β J λ 1 + λ 2 a j + β R L Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a * , E 3 = Ƒ λ 1 + Ƒ λ 2 j = 1 n w j Ƒ a j Ƒ λ 1 + λ 2 a *
and the inequalities in Theorems 2 and 3 are denoted in the following way:
L e f t   P a r t R i g h t   L e f t   P a r t M i d d l e   P a r t R i g h t   M i d d l e   P a r t R i g h t   P a r t
Example 1. 
Let Ƒ : [ 0 , 1 ] R be a convex function that is defined as Ƒ x = x 2 , then Table 1 and Table 2 show the significance and validity of Theorem 1. We also added figures to show the validity of both n and the fractional parameter β in Theorem 1. In this example w j s is equal to 1 / n .
From Table 1 and Table 2, one can easily observe the significance of n and the fractional parameter β. In this example, although the value of E 1 increases as n increases, the whole length E 3 of the inequality decreases, which is clear, from Table 1. If we discuss the fractional parameter β, then one can easily observe that the bounds becomes sharp for a higher value of the fractional parameter, which is clear from Table 2.
From Figure 1, we can see the validity of the inequalities provided in Theorem 1 for two different values of n with the variation of β in ( 0 , 10 ] . From both figures, we can observe that the length of inequalities is short when β is very high, which is an advantage of using the fractional integrals in this work. From the figures, it is clear that the length of the first inequality in Theorem 1 increases when n is increases, but the total length of the double inequality is decreases. So, one can conclude from Table 1 and Table 2 that by choosing higher values for the fractional parameter β and n, we can obtain very sharp bounds.
Example 2. 
Let Ƒ : 0 , 2 R be a convex function, which is defined as Ƒ x = x 2 , then the validity of Theorem 2 can be observed from Figure 2. It can be observed from the figure that for a small value of n, the length of the inequality was large, but the length decreased for a large value of n. The significance of n in Theorem 2 is also clear from the figure.
Example 3. 
Let Ƒ : 0 , 1 R be a convex function, which is defined as Ƒ x = x 4 , then the validity of Theorem 3 can be observed from the Figure 3.
Example 4. 
Let Ƒ : 1 , 2 R be a function, which is defined as Ƒ x = x 2 . The derivative of differentiable function x 2 on 1 , 2 is 2 x , which is a convex on 1 , 2 , then the validity of Theorem 4 can be observed from Figure 4. We only provide the validity by crossing a higher value of n, the accuracy can be improved by choosing suitable values of n, w j s , and the fractional parameter β > 0 .

5. Concluding Remarks and Future Directions

In this work, we established some new bounds for Hermite–Hadamard-type inequalities in the context of fractional integrals using the Jensen–Mercer inequality. Some bounds were already proved for Hermite–Hadamard inequality in classical and fractional calculus, but those bounds were established for only two values in the Jensen–Mercer inequality. Here, we used the general values in the Jensen–Mercer inequality and established some new bounds for Hermite–Hadamard inequality in fractional calculus. It is observed from the numerical examples that the bounds of newly established inequalities can be improved for a suitable value of n, fractional parameter β > 0 , and weights used in the Jensen–Mercer inequality. We also found the general error bounds for numerical integration formulas in fractional calculus for differentiable convex functions and these newly established error bounds can be converted to a midpoint formula, trapezoidal formula, and Bullen formula for particular values in the Jensen–Mercer inequality. Moreover, different numerical examples were tested to show the effectiveness and validity of the newly established inequalities. The newly established results can be used in future studies, particularly in the finite volume method for partial differential equations to approximate the integrals because, new results are more effective than the existing ones for different choices. These results can also be extended for functions of two variables and other convexities.

Author Contributions

Methodology, M.A.A. and S.F.; Validation, M.F.; Writing—original draft, W.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This paper is partially supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the Contract no. APVV-23-0039, and by the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA No. 1/0084/23 and No. 2/0062/24.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

  1. Ross, S.M. Introduction to Probability Models; Academic Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
  2. Boyd, S.; Vandenberghe, L. Convex Optimization; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2004. [Google Scholar]
  3. Cover, T.M. Elements of Information Theory; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 1999. [Google Scholar]
  4. Sohail, A.; Khan, M.A.; Nasr, E.A.; Ding, X. Further improvements of the Jensen inequality in the integral sense by virtue of 6-convexity along with applications. AIMS Math. 2024, 9, 11278–11303. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  5. Pachpatte, B.G. Mathematical Inequalities; Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2005. [Google Scholar]
  6. Dragomir, S.S.; Agarwal, R. Two inequalities for differentiable mappings and applications to special means of real numbers and to trapezoidal formula. Appl. Math. Lett. 1998, 11, 91–95. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  7. Kirmaci, U.S. Inequalities for differentiable mappings and applications to special means of real numbers to midpoint formula. Appl. Math. Comput. 2004, 147, 137–146. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  8. Moradi, H.R.; Furuichi, S.; Mitroi, F.C.; Naseri, R. An extension of Jensen’s operator inequality and its application to Young inequality. Rev. Real Acad. Cienc. Exactas Fis. Nat. Ser. A Mat. 2019, 113, 605–614. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  9. Mercer, A.M. A variant of Jensen’s inequality. J. Inequal. Pure Appl. Math. 2003, 4, 73. [Google Scholar]
  10. Matkovíc, A.; Pečríc, J.; Períc, I. A variant of Jensen’s inequality of Mercer’s type for operators with applications. Linear Algebra Appl. 2006, 418, 551–564. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Moradi, H.R.; Omidvar, M.E.; Khan, M.A.; Nikodem, K. Around Jensen’s inequality for strongly convex functions. Aequat. Math. 2018, 92, 25–37. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  12. Moradi, H.R.; Furuichi, S. Improvement and generalization of some Jensen-Mercer-type inequalities. J. Math. Inequal. 2020, 14, 377–383. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. Kian, M.; Moslehian, M.S. Refinements of the operator Jensen-Mercer inequality. Electron. J. Linear Algebra. 2013, 26, 742–753. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  14. Miller, K.S.; Ross, B. An Introduction to the Fractional Calculus and Fractional Differential Equations; John Wiley: New York, NY, USA; London, UK, 1993. [Google Scholar]
  15. Oldham, K.B.; Spanier, J. The Fractional Calculus; Academic Press: New York, NY, USA; London, UK, 1974. [Google Scholar]
  16. Sarikaya, M.Z.; Set, E.; Yaldiz, H.; Başak, N. Hermite–Hadamard’s inequalities for fractional integrals and related fractional inequalities. Math. Comput. Model. 2013, 57, 2403–2407. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  17. Sarikaya, M.Z.; Yildrim, H. On Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for Riemann-Liouville fractional integrals. Miskolc Math. Notes 2016, 17, 1049–1059. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  18. Peng, C.; Zhou, C.; Du, T.S. Riemann-Liouville fractional Simpson’s inequalities through generalized (λ1, h1, h2)-preinvexity. Ital. J. Pure Appl. Math. 2017, 38, 345–367. [Google Scholar]
  19. Sitthiwirattham, T.; Nonlaopon, K.; Ali, M.A.; Budak, H. Riemann-Liouville fractional Newton’s type inequalities for differentiable convex functions. Fractal Fract. 2022, 6, 175. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. İşcan, x.; Wu, S. Hermite–Hadamard type inequalities for harmonically convex functions via fractional integrals. Appl. Math. Comput. 2014, 238, 237–244. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Sarikaya, M.Z.; Set, E.; Özdemir, M.E. On new inequalities of Simpson’s type for s-convex functions. Comput. Math. Appl. 2010, 60, 2191–2199. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  22. Hyder, A.-A.; Almoneef, A.A.; Budak, H. Improvement in Some Inequalities via Jensen Mercer Inequality and Fractional Extended Riemann Liouville Integrals. Axioms 2023, 12, 886. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Öğülmxuxs, H.; Sarikaya, M.Z. Hermite–Hadamard–Mercer type inequalities for fractional integrals. Filomat 2021, 35, 2425–2436. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  24. Kang, Q.; Butt, S.I.; Nazeer, W.; Nadeem, M.; Nasir, J.; Yang, H. New variant of Hermite–Jensen–Mercer inequalities via Riemann–Liouville fractional integral operators. J. Math. 2020, 2020, 4303727. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Figure 1. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 1 with β ( 0 , 10 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Figure 1. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 1 with β ( 0 , 10 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Fractalfract 08 00547 g001
Figure 2. Comparison for two different values of n in Theorem 2 with β ( 0 , 1 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Figure 2. Comparison for two different values of n in Theorem 2 with β ( 0 , 1 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Fractalfract 08 00547 g002
Figure 3. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 3 with β ( 0 , 20 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Figure 3. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 3 with β ( 0 , 20 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Fractalfract 08 00547 g003
Figure 4. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 4 with β ( 0 , 20 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Figure 4. Comparison of two different values of n in Theorem 4 with β ( 0 , 20 ] and w j s are equal to 1 / n .
Fractalfract 08 00547 g004
Table 1. Significance of n in Theorem 1.
Table 1. Significance of n in Theorem 1.
β n E 1 E 2 E 3
20.01111110.9333330.944444
40.020.880.9
0.580.02592590.8444440.87037
160.02941180.8235290.852941
320.03131310.8121210.843434
20.007936510.3068780.314815
40.01428570.2857140.3
1.580.01851850.2716050.290123
160.02100840.2633050.284314
320.02236650.2587780.281145
Table 2. Significance of β in Theorem 1.
Table 2. Significance of β in Theorem 1.
n β E 1 E 2 E 3
0.50.02727270.8363640.863636
1.50.01948050.2683980.287879
102.50.01515150.1575760.172727
3.50.01239670.110980.123377
4.50.01048950.08547010.0959596
0.50.03015870.8190480.849206
1.50.02154190.2615270.283069
202.50.01675480.1530860.169841
3.50.01370850.1076070.121315
4.50.01159950.08275670.0943563
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Ali, M.A.; Liu, W.; Furuichi, S.; Fečkan, M. Improved Hermite–Hadamard Inequality Bounds for Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integrals via Jensen’s Inequality. Fractal Fract. 2024, 8, 547. https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8090547

AMA Style

Ali MA, Liu W, Furuichi S, Fečkan M. Improved Hermite–Hadamard Inequality Bounds for Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integrals via Jensen’s Inequality. Fractal and Fractional. 2024; 8(9):547. https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8090547

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ali, Muhammad Aamir, Wei Liu, Shigeru Furuichi, and Michal Fečkan. 2024. "Improved Hermite–Hadamard Inequality Bounds for Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integrals via Jensen’s Inequality" Fractal and Fractional 8, no. 9: 547. https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8090547

APA Style

Ali, M. A., Liu, W., Furuichi, S., & Fečkan, M. (2024). Improved Hermite–Hadamard Inequality Bounds for Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integrals via Jensen’s Inequality. Fractal and Fractional, 8(9), 547. https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract8090547

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop