<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><!DOCTYPE article  PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD Journal Publishing DTD v3.0 20080202//EN" "http://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/publishing/3.0/journalpublishing3.dtd"><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="3.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">JAMP</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="epub">2327-4352</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Scientific Research Publishing</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.4236/jamp.2016.49184</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">JAMP-70935</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Articles</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="Discipline-v2"><subject>Physics&amp;Mathematics</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>
 
 
  On a Non-Definite Sturm-Liouville Problem in the Two-Turning Point Case—Analysis and Numerical Results
 
</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Mervis</surname><given-names>Kikonko</given-names></name><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"><sub>1</sub></xref></contrib></contrib-group><aff id="aff1"><label>1</label><addr-line>Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Lule&amp;amp;aring University of Technology, Lule&amp;amp;aring, Sweden</addr-line></aff><author-notes><corresp id="cor1">* E-mail:</corresp></author-notes><pub-date pub-type="epub"><day>07</day><month>09</month><year>2016</year></pub-date><volume>04</volume><issue>09</issue><fpage>1787</fpage><lpage>1810</lpage><history><date date-type="received"><day>July</day>	<month>22,</month>	<year>2016</year></date><date date-type="rev-recd"><day>Accepted:</day>	<month>September</month>	<year>25,</year>	</date><date date-type="accepted"><day>September</day>	<month>28,</month>	<year>2016</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement>&#169; Copyright  2014 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. </copyright-statement><copyright-year>2014</copyright-year><license><license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>
 
 
  In this paper, we study the non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem comprising of a regular Sturm-Liouville equation and Dirichlet boundary conditions on a closed interval. We consider the case in which the weight function changes sign twice in the given interval of definition. We give detailed numerical results on the spectrum of the problem, from which we verify various results on general non definite Sturm-Liouville problems. We also present some theoretical results which support the numerical results. Some numerical results seem to be in contrast with the results that are so far obtained in the case where the weight function changes sign once. This leads to more open questions for future studies in this particular area.
 
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Eigenvalue</kwd><kwd> Eigenfunction</kwd><kwd> Non-Definite</kwd><kwd> Turning Point</kwd><kwd> Richardson Number</kwd><kwd> Richardson Index</kwd><kwd> Haupt Index</kwd><kwd> Oscillation Number</kwd><kwd> Right-Definite</kwd><kwd> Left-Definite</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front><body><sec id="s1"><title>1. Introduction</title><p>The regular Sturm-Liouville problem involves finding the values of a parameter <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x2.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> (generally complex) for which the equation</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1929"><label>(1)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x3.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>has a solution u (non-identically zero) in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x4.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> satisfying the boundary conditions (2)-(3) below.</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1930"><label>(2)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x5.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1931"><label>(3)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x6.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x7.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>The parameter <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x8.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is called an eigenvalue and the corresponding function u is called an eigenfunction. The set consisting of all the eigenvalues of the problem consisting of (1) and the boundary conditions (2)-(3) is called the spectrum. The coefficient functions are such that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x9.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x10.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>is absolutely continuous in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x11.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x12.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> In what follows (,) denotes</p><p>the inner product of the Hilbert space<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x13.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. A point at which the weight function <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x14.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> changes sign is called a turning point. The number of zeros that an eigen- function has within the open interval<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x15.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, is called the oscillation number of the corresponding eigenvalue. In this paper, the setting is that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x16.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has exactly n zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x17.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> That is, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x18.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>has oscillation number n.</p><p>Definition 1. Suppose that the eigenfunctions of a Sturm-Liouville problem are ordered according to increasing eigenvalues of the problem, the eigenfunctions are said to have the interlacing property, if between two zeros of the eigenfunction <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x19.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> lies exactly one zero of the eigenfunction<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x19.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x20.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Definition 2. A homogeneous linear differential equation</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1932"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x21.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>of order n is called disconjugate on an interval I if no non-trivial solution has n zeros on I, multiple zeros being counted according to their multiplicity.</p><p>We pronounce that the strong interest of this field during all these years is that this theory is important in Applied Mathematics, where SL problems occur very commonly. The differential equations considered here arise directly as mathematical models of motion according to Newton’s law, but more often as a result of using the method of separation of variables to solve the classical partial differential equations of physics, such as Laplace’s equation, the heat equation, and the wave equation, (see e.g [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref1">1</xref>] ). Let (1) be written as</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1933"><label>(4)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x22.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>Then, the problem consisting of (4) and the boundary conditions (2)-(3) is called right-definite if the form</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1934"><label>(5)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x23.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>is definite. In this case there is a sequence <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x24.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> of real eigenvalues such that</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1935"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x25.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x26.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> as <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x26.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x27.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> with a finite number of negative eigenvalues (see e.g, [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref2">2</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] ). If the form</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1936"><label>(6)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x28.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>is definite for each<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, the problem is called left-definite. In this case the problem consists of two sequences of eigenvalues <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> as <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> If we let <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> to be a real eigenvalue with smallest absolute value, then in the left- and right- definite case, the corresponding eigenfunction has no zero in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x34.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> When neither <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x34.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x35.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> nor <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x34.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x35.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x36.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is definite, then the problem is called non-definite (indefinite). In this paper our focus is on a non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem in which the weight function <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x29.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x30.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x31.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x32.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x33.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x34.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x35.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x36.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x37.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has two turning points in the interval of definition.</p>The Non-Definite (or Indefinite) Case<p>Here we give a summary on the non-definite case, detailed literature can be found in the papers [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] - [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref9">9</xref>] , etc, and the references there in. In the non-definite case the spectrum is discrete, always consists of a doubly infinite sequence of real eigenvalues, and has at most a finite and even number of non-real eigenvalues (necessarily occurring in complex conjugate pairs).</p><p>Remark 1. If the problem consisting of the equation</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1937"><label>(7)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x38.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and the boundary conditions (2)-(3) has N distinct negative eigenvalues, then the number of distinct pairs of non-real eigenvalues of the problem (1)-(3) cannot exceed N.</p><p>For more details on remark 1, we refer the interested reader to the papers [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref2">2</xref>] (Theorem 4.2.1), [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] (Theorem 2), [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref10">10</xref>] (Corollary 1.7), and the references there. In the non-definite case, as Richardson [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref4">4</xref>] puts it, the march of the zeros is not monotone with <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> (in contrast with the left- and right-definite cases). In fact there may be a range of values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that as <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x41.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> increases, the number of zeros first decreases, then increases, then decreases and finally increases, the minimum number being a positive integer. As a result the eigenfunction corresponding to the eigenvalue <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x41.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> can have any number of zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x39.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x40.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x41.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x42.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x43.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in contrast with the definite case, that is to say, a non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem will tend not to have a real ground state (positive eigenfunction). In relation to this behaviour of the real spectrum of the non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem, Mingarelli [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref6">6</xref>] defines two types of indexes which are due to Richardson [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref4">4</xref>] and Haupt [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref11">11</xref>] .</p><p>Theorem 1. ( [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref6">6</xref>] Haupt-Richardson Oscillation Theorem)</p><p>In the non-definite case of (1)-(3), there exists an integer <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that for each <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there are at least two real solutions of (1)-(3) having exactly n zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> while for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x47.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there are no real solutions having n zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x47.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> Furthermore there exists a possibly different integer <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x47.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that for each <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x47.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x50.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there are precisely two solutions having exactly n zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x44.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x45.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x46.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x47.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x48.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x49.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x50.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x51.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>Mingarelli [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref6">6</xref>] calls <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> the Richardson Index and Haupt Index, respec- tively. If we consider positive eigenvalues separately, we can define for all <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> an integer<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, such that for each<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, there is at least one real solution of the problem (1)-(3) having n zeros in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, while for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there are no real solutions having n zeros. Also, there is an integer <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> such that for each<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, there is exactly one real solution having precisely n zeros in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, while for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x62.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there are no solutions having n zeros in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x62.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x63.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Analogue for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x62.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x63.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x64.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> defines <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x62.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x63.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x64.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x65.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x52.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x53.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x54.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x55.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x56.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x57.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x58.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x59.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x60.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x61.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x62.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x63.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x64.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x65.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x66.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>Furthermore, for real <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x67.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there exist two numbers <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x67.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x68.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x67.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x68.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x69.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> called the Richardson numbers defined as</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1938"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x70.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1939"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x71.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>We note that<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We can interpret <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> as the smallest number such that the real eigenvalues greater than <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x74.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> behave as in a “typical” Sturm-Liouville problem, that is, an eigenvalue is uniquely associated with its oscillation number, and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x74.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x75.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is interpreted similarly [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref7">7</xref>] . We note that in the right-definite case, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x74.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x75.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x76.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>while in the left-definite case, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x72.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x73.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x74.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x75.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x76.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x77.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>As Jabon and Atkinson [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref7">7</xref>] rightly put it, in the non-definite case, the determination of these numbers is a very significant problem.</p><p>Theorem 2. ( [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] Theorem 3)</p><p>Let <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> be a non-real eigenvalue and associated non-real eigenfunction of problems (1)-(3). If <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x80.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has precisely n turning points in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x80.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x81.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x80.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x81.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x82.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> may vanish at most <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x80.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x81.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x82.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x83.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>-times in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x78.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x79.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x80.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x81.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x82.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x83.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x84.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>Corollary 1. (Corollary 1 [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] )</p><p>Let <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> be a non-real eigenvalue and associated non-real eigenfunction of problems (1)-(3). If <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x87.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has exactly one turning point in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x87.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x88.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> then <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x87.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x88.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x89.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x85.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x86.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x87.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x88.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x89.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x90.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>In relation to corollary 1, we state the following theorem which is due to Richardson [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref4">4</xref>] , see also the papers [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref6">6</xref>] .</p><p>Theorem 3. (Richardson’s Oscillation theorem)</p><p>Let w be continuous and not vanish identically in any right neighborhood of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> If <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> changes its sign precisely once in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> then the roots of the real and imaginary parts <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x94.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x94.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x95.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> of any non-real eigenfunction <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x91.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x92.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x93.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x94.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x95.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x96.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> corresponding to a non-real eigenvalue, separate one another (or interlace).</p><p>Below are some of the many open questions that Mingarelli in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref6">6</xref>] raises on non-definite or indefinite Sturm-Liouville problems.</p><p>1) Estimate the oscillation numbers <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x97.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x97.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x98.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in terms of the given data <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x97.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x98.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x99.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> etc.</p><p>2)Estimate the eigenvalues <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x100.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x100.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x101.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in terms of the given data.</p><p>3) Give sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one non-real eigenvalue.</p><p>4) Estimate the real and imaginary parts of non-real eigenvalues.</p><p>5) Is Richardson’s oscillation theorem for non-real eigenfunctions true in general?</p><p>6) To what extent is Richardson’s theorem for non-real eigenfunctions true?</p><p>The following is a brief list of part of the work done towards answering some of the questions raised above.</p><p>1) In the one-turning point case for w, Atkinson and Jabon, [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref7">7</xref>] obtain upper bound for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x102.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and lower bound for<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x102.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x103.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>2) In the two-turning point case for w, Kikonko and Mingarelli [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref8">8</xref>] obtain upper bound on<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x104.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p><p>3) On sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one non-real eigenvalue, Allegretto and Mingarelli [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref5">5</xref>] cover the case <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x105.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x105.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x106.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>; Also Behrndt, Katatbeh, and Trunk [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref12">12</xref>] in a singular case with the same weight; [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref2">2</xref>] [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref3">3</xref>] , [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref10">10</xref>] , etc.</p><p>4) On estimating the real and imaginary parts of non-real eigenvalues, Mingarelli [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref13">13</xref>] uses Green’s function arguments; a good number of recent papers, e.g Qi and Chen [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref9">9</xref>] ; Qi, Xie and Chen [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref14">14</xref>] ; Behrndt, Chen, Philip, and Qi [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref15">15</xref>] ; Xie and Qi [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref16">16</xref>] ; Behrndt, Philip and Trunk [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref17">17</xref>] ; etc, use L<sup>2</sup>-estimates coupled with quadratic form arguments and theory of Krein spaces.</p><p>5) On Richardson’s Oscillation theorem, numerical results in the conference paper [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref18">18</xref>] indicated that the interlacing property fails in the two-turning point case and no non-real eigenfunction vanished inside the given interval of definition at least for the values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x107.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> that were considered then.</p><p>The main motivation for this paper is the results obtained from the important paper [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref7">7</xref>] in which the Authors considered a special indefinite (non-definite) problem in which the weight function <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x108.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has one turning point in the interval<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x108.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x109.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Pre- sented in that paper were results of numerical calculations of the spectrum of the problem</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1940"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x110.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>In the next section we extend their study to the case in which the weight function changes sign twice (has two turning points) on the interval<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x111.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. In particular, we wish to verify whether or not, theorem 3 holds in the two-turning point case. Further- more, theorem 2 implies that in the two-turning point case, if a non-real eigenfunction vanishes in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x111.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x112.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> it can only do so once, which is worthy verifying too. We carried out numerical calculations on the spectrum of our problem using the Maple<sup>&#211;</sup> package RootFinding[Analytic]. This package attempts to find all complex zeros of an analytic function, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x111.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x112.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x113.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>within the rectangular region <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x111.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x112.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x113.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x114.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x111.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x112.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x113.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x114.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x115.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in the complex plane. From the numerical results in this paper we pronounce the following results.</p><p>1) The interlacing property which holds in the one-turning point case does not hold in the two turning-point case in general.</p><p>2) The real and imaginary parts of any non-real eigenfunction corresponding to a non-real eigenvalue either have the same number of zeros in the interval <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x116.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> or the numbers of zeros differ by two.</p><p>3) For some values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x117.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> considered in this paper, some non-real eigenfunctions seem to vanish inside the interval <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x117.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x118.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>The result 2) is partly surprising and leads us into raising yet more open questions in the field.</p></sec><sec id="s2"><title>2. Main Results</title><p>Here we consider the Dirichlet problem</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1941"><label>(8)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x119.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1942"><label>(9)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x120.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>Here, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x121.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>for all<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x121.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x122.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, the weight <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x121.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x122.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x123.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> is a piecewise constant step-function described by the relations</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1943"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x124.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>where we assume, without loss of generality, that<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x125.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We note that (8) is in Sturm-Liouville form (1) with <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x125.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x126.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x125.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x126.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x127.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> replaced by<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x125.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x126.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x127.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x128.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. In this case, the forms (5) and (6) respectively simplify to</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1944"><label>(10)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x129.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1945"><label>(11)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x130.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>It was shown in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref18">18</xref>] and [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref8">8</xref>] that the two forms are sign indefinite for values of x for which<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x131.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, hence we have the non-definite case with two turning points since the weight function changes its sign twice inside the interval of definition. The solution <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x131.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x132.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> of the problem (8)-(9) in this case is given by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1946"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x133.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>where</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1947"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x134.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1948"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x135.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1949"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x136.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x137.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x137.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x138.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. The solution is found by piecing together the various solutions on the intervals [−1,0], (0,1] and (1,2] so as to obtain a con- tinuously differentiable function on [−1,2]. By solving the dispersion relation</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1950"><label>(12)</label><graphic position="anchor" xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x139.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>and fixing the values of A, B and C to be<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x140.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x140.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x141.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x140.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x141.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x142.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, we calculated eigenvalues lying within the rectangle</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1951"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x143.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>using the Maple<sup>&#211;</sup> package Root Finding [Analytic]. Since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x144.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> changes sign in the interval <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x144.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x145.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we need to pick values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x144.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x145.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x146.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> carefully so that the spectrum can have non-real eigenvalues. Note that if we set <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x144.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x145.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x146.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x147.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in Equation (8) and solve the equation subject to boundary conditions in (9) with the assumption that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x144.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x145.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x146.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x147.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x148.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we see that the eigenvalues of this new problem (which we shall call the corresponding right-definite problem (RDP)) are given by</p><disp-formula id="scirp.70935-formula1952"><graphic  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x149.png"  xlink:type="simple"/></disp-formula><p>From this we see that if <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x150.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for all n the new problem can not have any negative eigenvalues and when <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x150.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x151.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for all n we expect to have at least one negative eigenvalue of the problem and by remark 1 the problem (8)-(9) may have at least one pair of non-real eigenvalues for such<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x150.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x151.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x152.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Hence we are assured of non-real eigenvalues for problem (8)-(9) for <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x150.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x151.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x152.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x153.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p>Therefore we calculated eigenvalues in the cases <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in the rectangle E using the Maple package Root Finding [Analytic]. We note that this is an extension of the work covered in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref18">18</xref>] , where we only considered values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> less than or equal to <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x157.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in a smaller rectangle. In <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref>, we show graphs of eigenfunctions corresponding to positive eigenvalues of the problem (8)-(9) when <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x157.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and from this figure, we estimate the upper bound of the Richardson number<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x157.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x159.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, and the integers <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x157.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x159.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x160.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x154.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x155.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x156.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x157.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x158.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x159.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x160.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x161.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We also show a typical behaviour of the real and imaginary parts of the non-real eigenfunctions corresponding to non-real eigenvalues of the problem (8)-(9) in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>.</p><p>The summary of the results are shown in <xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref> and <xref ref-type="table" rid="table2">Table 2</xref>. <xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref> brings out the difference between the number of zeros of real and imaginary parts of the non-real eigenfunctions corresponding to non-real eigenvalues of the problem (8)-(9). The results in this table are complemented by the results shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref> which shows that the number of zeros of the real and imaginary parts of the non-real eigenfunctions are either equal or differ by two. <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref> also shows that the interlacing property of</p><table-wrap id="table1" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table1">Table 1</xref></label><caption><title> Non-real eigenvalues obtained inside the rectangle E for some values of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x162.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle" ></th><th align="center" valign="middle" ></th><th align="center" valign="middle"  colspan="2"  >No. of zeros of</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x163.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >Eigenvalues</td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x164.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x165.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x166.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x167.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >2</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x168.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x169.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >2</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x170.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x171.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x172.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x173.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x174.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x175.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x176.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x177.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x178.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x179.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x180.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x181.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x182.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x183.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x184.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x185.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x186.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x187.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x188.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x189.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x190.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x191.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >12</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >12</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x192.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >12</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >10</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x193.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >13</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x194.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >13</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x195.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x196.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >15</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >15</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x197.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >16</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x198.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >16</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x199.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >15</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >15</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x200.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x201.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >15</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >13</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x202.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >14</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ></td><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x203.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >13</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><p>the real and imaginary parts of non-real eigenfunctions fails in the two-turning point case. <xref ref-type="table" rid="table2">Table 2</xref> shows that the smallest number of zeros of the eigenfunctions corre- sponding to positive eigenvalues for each value of the parameter <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x204.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> considered, is two and so problem (8)-(9) has no real ground state (positive eigenfunction). The table also compares the number of distinct negative eigenvalues of the corresponding right- definite problem with the number of pairs of distinct non-real eigenvalues of the</p><table-wrap id="table2" ><label><xref ref-type="table" rid="table2">Table 2</xref></label><caption><title> Comparing number of pairs of non-real eigenvalues with number of negative eigenvalues of corresponding RDP</title></caption><table><tbody><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="middle"  rowspan="3"  ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x205.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Number of</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Number of negative</th><th align="center" valign="middle" >Smallest</th></tr></thead><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Complex</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >Eigenvalues of corresponding</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >Oscillation</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" >Pairs</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >Right-definite problem</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >Number</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x206.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x207.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >2</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >3</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x208.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x209.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >4</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x210.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >6</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >7</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x211.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >5</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x212.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >8</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >10</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" ><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x213.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></td><td align="center" valign="middle" >9</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >12</td><td align="center" valign="middle" >11</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><p>problem (8)-(9).</p><p>A closer look at <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref> shows that the smallest positive eigenvalue for this case is <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> with corresponding eigenfunction <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> oscillating twelve times in the interval. Furthermore, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>and corresponding eigenfunction oscillating eleven times in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> The oscillation numbers decrease by one as the value of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> increases until the fifth eigenvalue. From the sixth eigenvalue onwards the oscillation numbers increase by one as the value of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> increases and from the eleventh eigenvalue (i.e.,<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>) onwards, each eigenfunction has a unique oscillation number. Since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> has corresponding eigenfunction <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> oscillating thirteen times in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> we can say that for each <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> there is precisely one eigenfunction with n zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and so<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Hence the correct notation is that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and thus the Richardson number <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> satisfies<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x229.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Another observation is that there is no positive eigenvalue with corresponding eigenfunction having less than eight zeros in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x229.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x230.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> while for each<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x229.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x230.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x231.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, there is at least one eigenfunction having n zeros in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x229.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x230.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x231.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x232.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, hence we have that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x214.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x215.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x216.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x217.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x218.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x219.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x220.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x221.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x222.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x223.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x224.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x225.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x226.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x227.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x228.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x229.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x230.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x231.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x232.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x233.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula></p><p><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref> gives the spectrum for larger values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x234.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in the rectangle E. We see that in each of the cases, the spectrum consists of a finite number of non-real eigenvalues and two infinite sequences of positive and negative eigenvalues.</p></sec><sec id="s3"><title>3. Discussion and Conclusions</title><sec id="s3_1"><title>3.1. Discussion</title><p>From <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref>, we see that the spectrum is made up of an infinite number of real eigenvalues and a finite number of non-real eigenvalues for each value of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x235.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> con- sidered. That the number of non-real eigenvalues of problem (8)-(9) is finite, is not a surprise because this is expected, by remark 1. It can be seen from the graphs of the eigenfunctions that generally oscillation numbers decrease as the parameter value increases, but then oscillations will stabilize and the usual oscillation theorem event- ually holds. This leads to the estimation of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x235.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x236.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x235.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x236.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x237.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, and<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x235.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x236.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x237.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x238.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We also observe</p><fig-group id="fig1"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref></label><caption><title> The case<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Interlacing property for real and imaginary parts of non-real eigenfunctions fails in the two turning points case. (a)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (b)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x247.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (c)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x247.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x248.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (d)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x247.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x248.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x249.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (e)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x247.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x248.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x249.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x250.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (f)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x245.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x246.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x247.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x248.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x249.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x250.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x251.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</title></caption><fig id ="fig1_1"><label>(b)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x239.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig1_2"><label>(c)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x240.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig1_3"><label>(d)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x241.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig1_4"><label>(e)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x242.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig1_5"><label>(f)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x243.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig1_6"><label></label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x244.png"/></fig></fig-group><fig-group id="fig2"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref></label><caption><title> Eigenfunctions corresponding to positive eigenvalues for the case<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x264.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. (a) 61.01691, (b) 119.6179, (c) 159.1937, (d) 186.9206, (e) 188.6653, (f) 227.9183, (g) 322.0658, (h) 422.4908, (i) 531.7293, (j) 650.3222, (k) 778.4830, (l) 916.3175.</title></caption><fig id ="fig2_1"><label> (b)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x252.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_2"><label> (c)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x253.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_3"><label> (d)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x254.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_4"><label> (e)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x255.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_5"><label> (f)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x256.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_6"><label>(g)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x257.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_7"><label>(h)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x258.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_8"><label>(i)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x259.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_9"><label>(j)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x260.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_10"><label>(k)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x261.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_11"><label>(l)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x262.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig2_12"><label></label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x263.png"/></fig></fig-group><fig-group id="fig3"><label><xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">Figure 3</xref></label><caption><title> Spectrum for the two-turning point case for selected values of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. (a)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (b)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x273.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (c)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x273.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x274.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (d)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x273.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x274.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x275.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (e)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x273.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x274.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x275.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x276.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, (f)<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x271.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x272.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x273.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x274.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x275.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x276.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x277.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</title></caption><fig id ="fig3_1"><label>(b)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x265.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig3_2"><label>(c)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x266.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig3_3"><label>(d)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x267.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig3_4"><label>(e)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x268.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig3_5"><label>(f)</label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x269.png"/></fig><fig id ="fig3_6"><label></label><graphic mimetype="image"   position="float"  xlink:type="simple"  xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x270.png"/></fig></fig-group><p>disconjugacy in the first and last intervals and many oscillations in the middle interval <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> since <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> for all <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x280.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> because <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x280.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x281.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> in the interval. However, for some values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x280.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x281.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x282.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> a few oscillations are expected in the first and last intervals. This is so because in some cases, <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x280.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x281.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x282.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x283.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>can be so large that <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x278.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x279.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x280.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x281.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x282.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x283.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x284.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> For example in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">Figure 2</xref>, eigenfunctions corresponding to the first three positive eigenvalues have at least one zero in the first and third intervals.</p><p>Generally speaking, the number of non-real eigenvalues seems to increase with increasing<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. The number of pairs of distinct non-real eigenvalues of the problem does not exceed the number of negative eigenvalues of the corresponding right-definite problem. For all values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x286.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> considered (cases where there are non-real eigenvalues), the smallest oscillation number is 2 and so the problem does not have a positive eigenfunction in (−1,2). Furthermore, the real and imaginary parts of the non-real eigenfunctions do not interlace which is different from the results in the one turning point case considered by Richardson [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref4">4</xref>] . For larger values of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x286.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x287.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, some non-real eigen- functions vanish once in <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x286.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x287.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x288.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> since the the real and imaginary parts of such functions are both zero at <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x286.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x287.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x288.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x289.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> (see for example, <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>(b), <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>(d), and <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">Figure 1</xref>(f)). This was not one of the observation in the paper [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref18">18</xref>] in which we only considered generally smaller values of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x285.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x286.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x287.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x288.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x289.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x290.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>.</p></sec><sec id="s3_2"><title>3.2. Conclusions</title><p>In this paper, we undertook a numerical study of the non-real eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of a non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem with two turning points, paral- leling the study in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref7">7</xref>] in the case of one turning point. Our ultimate goal was to examine the behavior of the eigenfunctions, both real and non-real, of this non-definite Sturm-Liouville problem.</p><p>One of the interesting observations was that the zeros of the real and imaginary parts of a non-real eigenfunction interlace in some subintervals of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x291.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> and not on the whole interval, contrary to the results on the one turning point case covered in theorem 3. Whether this is an accident or a result of a more general yet unproven theorem, is unknown, but we conjecture that it is so and pose this as an open question for future research.</p><p>It is further observed that the complex eigenfunctions (corresponding to non-real eigenvalues) do not vanish in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, at least for smaller values of <inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula> considered in this paper, while for some larger values of<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x294.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, there are cases in which the non-real eigenfunctions vanish once in<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x294.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x295.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. We note that this result seems to verify theorem 2 which indicates that if an eigenfunction of problem (8)-(9) has to vanish, it may do so at most once in the interval<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x294.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x295.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x296.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>, since in this case<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x294.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x295.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x296.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x297.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. However, there is need to establish sufficient conditions for a non-real eigenfunction to vanish in an interval, say<inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x292.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x293.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x294.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x295.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x296.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x297.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula><inline-formula><inline-graphic xlink:href="http://html.scirp.org/file/7-1720656x298.png" xlink:type="simple"/></inline-formula>. Thus, we have our second open question.</p><p>Furthermore, the number of zeros of the real part of each of the non-real eigen- functions considered is greater (by two) than the number of zeros of the imaginary part in some cases, while in other cases, the number of zeros of the real part is equal to that of the imaginary part of a non-real eigenfunction corresponding to a non-real eigen- value. Also this may be a consequence of a more general theorem which we don’t know, so then, we have a third interesting open question for future research.</p><p>Summing up, we mean that the research initiated in [<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="scirp.70935-ref18">18</xref>] and presented in detail in this paper has implied a number of new interesting open questions of both theoretical and practical importance.</p></sec></sec><sec id="s4"><title>Acknowledgements</title><p>The author wishes to thank Prof. Angelo B. Mingarelli (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada), and Prof. Lars-Erik Persson (Lule&#229; University of Technology) for reading through the manuscript and giving valuable suggestions and comments.</p><p>We also wish to thank the International Science Programme in mathematical sci- ences, Uppsala University, Sweden, and Lule&#229; University of Technology, Sweden, for financial support which made this research possible.</p><p>Furthermore, we thank the careful referee for good suggestions and questions that improved the final version of this paper.</p></sec><sec id="s5"><title>Cite this paper</title><p>Kikonko, M. (2016) On a Non-Definite Sturm-Liouville Problem in the Two-Turning Point Case―Analysis and Numerical Results. Journal of Applied Mathematics and Physics, 4, 1787- 1810. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jamp.2016.49184</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="scirp.70935-ref1"><label>1</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Al-Gwaiz, M.A. (2008) Sturm-Liouville Theory and Its Applications. Springer-Verlag, London.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.70935-ref2"><label>2</label><mixed-citation publication-type="other" xlink:type="simple">Mingarelli, A.B. (1983) Volterra-Stieltjes Integral Equations and Generalised Ordinary Differential Expressions. Lecture Notes in Mathematics 989, Springer-Verlag, Berlin. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BFb0070768</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="scirp.70935-ref3"><label>3</label><mixed-citation publication-type="book" xlink:type="simple">Mingarelli, A.B. (1982) Indefinite Sturm-Liouville Problems. 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