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Let $f$ and $g$ be two differentiable functions of $x$. Suppose that

$$\dfrac{d^{n}f}{dx^n} = \dfrac{d^{n}g}{dx^n} $$ for some positive real $n$, where the derivatives are evaluated at $x=\alpha$.

Does this necessarily mean that $f(\alpha) = g(\alpha)$ ?.

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For fractional $n$, you need fractional calculus, and then everything just gets crazy. – Simple Art 15 hours ago
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Even for positive integer $n$ you can't necessarily say that $f=g$. eg if $f(x)=x^2+x$ and $g(x)=x^2$ then $f''(x)=g''(x)$ but $f\neq g$ – danimal 15 hours ago
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Could you attempt to explain the question a little better? I am thinking Matthew and I have differing opinions on what you are trying to ask us. – Simple Art 15 hours ago
    
Please also see: math.stackexchange.com/q/1946892/300579 – Isaac. 10 hours ago
    
I'm sorry to say this but it seems you are highly confused. The equality of some derivative at a single point definitely does not mean the functions are equal at that point. I humbly suggest you first gain more familiarity with ordinary calculus, and only then maybe move on to fractional calculus which is much more esoteric. – Meni Rosenfeld 9 hours ago
up vote 11 down vote accepted

It's easier to look at the difference between $f$ and $g$, let $h=f-g$.

Your question becomes "If $\dfrac{d^nh(x)}{dx^n}=0$, does $h(x)=0$ ?"

The answer is no, as the $n^{th}$ antiderivative of $0$ is a degree-${n-1}$ polynomial.


Remains to find the fractional antiderivatives of $0$.

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See there math.stackexchange.com/a/1812937/276986 (with the usual definition of $D^a, a \in \mathbb{R}$) if $a > 0$ then $D^a x^b = 0 \implies a-b \in \mathbb{N}^*$ – user1952009 2 hours ago

For some $n$? Not even close. Let $n=1$, $f(x) =x$, and $g(x)=x+1$. Then $f'(x) = g'(x)$, but $f(\alpha) \neq g(\alpha)$, not at any point $\alpha$.

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Close. You forget to include constant of integration:

$$f(x)=g(x)+a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2+\dots+a_{n-1}x^{n-1}$$

For arbitrary constants $a_k$.

For example:

$$f(x)=g(x)+a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2\tag1$$


$$f'(x)=g'(x)+\require{cancel}\cancelto0{\frac{da_0}{dx}}+\cancelto{a_1}{\frac{da_1x}{dx}}+\cancelto{2a_2x}{\frac{da_2x^2}{dx}}\\f'(x)=g'(x)+a_1+2a_2x$$


$$f''(x)=g''(x)+\cancelto0{\frac{da_1}{dx}}+\cancelto{2a_2}{\frac{d2a_2x}{dx}}$$

$$f''(x)=g''(x)+2a_2$$


$$f'''(x)=g'''(x)+\cancelto0{\frac{d2a_2}{dx}}$$

$$f'''(x)=g'''(x)$$

So the solution to that DE is given by $(1)$.

For fractional values of $n$, we run into fractional calculus, whereupon I cannot give you any simple answer.

I can say the following:

$$f(x)=g(x)\implies\frac{d^\alpha}{dx^\alpha}f(x)=\frac{d^\alpha}{dx^\alpha}g(x)$$

However,

$$\frac{d^\alpha}{dx^\alpha}f(x)=\frac{d^\alpha}{dx^\alpha}g(x)\cancel\implies f(x)=g(x)$$

If you are interested, you can try to look up some things on fractional calculus, which is concerned with fractional derivatives.

Here is the Wikipedia for fractional calculus, but do be warned that most sources ignore a fractional constant of integration or whatever due to its confusing nature.

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This seems to show that if $f^{(k)}(x) = f^{(k)}(x)$ for each whole number $k$ from $1$ to $n$, then there exists a polynomial $P$ of degree $n-1$ such that $f(x) = g(x) + P(x)$. But that wasn't the OP's question. – Matthew Leingang 15 hours ago
    
@MatthewLeingang First, I showed a counter example to the OP's claim, which is the first question for which the OP assumes is true. You have done just the same. And secondly, I did my best to note the OP's concern of non-integer $n$, which seems to be the OP's true question. – Simple Art 15 hours ago
    
Sorry, I made a mistake. You've shown the converse of his statement. That is, f $f(x) = g(x) + P(x)$ for some polynomial $P$ of degree $n-1$, then $f^{(n)}(x) = g^{(n)}(x)$. But that's still different from the question. (I"m not the downvoter) – Matthew Leingang 15 hours ago
    
@Simple Art,in your last equation, are you saying that in general, for any fractional $\alpha$, if $f^{\alpha}(x) = g^{\alpha} (x)$, then $f(x) \neq g(x)$ ? – Isaac. 15 hours ago
    
@Isaac. I am saying it does not directly imply the equality. Since there should be a constant of integration separating the two that cannot easily be found for fractional $\alpha$, there is no simple form. – Simple Art 14 hours ago

You write: "What i know is that if the $n-th$ derivative of $f$ equals that of $g$ (where $n$ is an integer), then $f=g$, but i'm not sure if this holds for fractional $n$."

Not even this is true. Let $f(x) = 0$ and $g(x) = 1$. Then all positive integer derivatives of $f$ and $g$ are zero, but $f \neq g$ everywhere. Further, (though strictly not something you asked about,) that all positive integer derivatives of two functions agree does not mean that any of their positive non-integer derivatives agree. For positive non-integer $\alpha$, \begin{align} \frac{\mathrm{d}^\alpha}{\mathrm{d}x^\alpha} f(x) &= \frac{0 \cdot x ^{-\alpha}}{\Gamma(1-\alpha)} = 0 \\ \frac{\mathrm{d}^\alpha}{\mathrm{d}x^\alpha} g(x) &= \frac{1 \cdot x ^{-\alpha}}{\Gamma(1-\alpha)} \neq 0 \text{,} \end{align} where I have written "${} \neq 0$" because that function is never zero for any value of $x$. (For integer $\alpha$, we can recover the zero derivatives we have already mentioned by being careful taking our limits. When we are, the pole in $\Gamma$ dominates the algebraic numerator, giving zero.)

Now to your specific question. Fix a positive non-integer $n$ and let $f(x) = x$ and $g(x) = \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(3)}\cdot\frac{\Gamma(3-n)}{\Gamma(2-n)} x^2$. Then \begin{align} \frac{\mathrm{d}^n}{\mathrm{d}x^n} f(x) &= \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(2-n)} x^{1-n} \\ \frac{\mathrm{d}^n}{\mathrm{d}x^n} g(x) &= \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(3)}\cdot\frac{\Gamma(3-n)}{\Gamma(2-n)} \cdot \frac{\Gamma(3)}{\Gamma(3-n)} x^{2-n} \\ &= \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(2-n)} x^{2-n} \text{.} \end{align} And we can see that $f^{(n)}(1) = g^{(n)}(1) = \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(2-n)}$. However, $f(1) = 1$ and $g(1) = \frac{\Gamma(2)}{\Gamma(3)}\cdot\frac{\Gamma(3-n)}{\Gamma(2-n)} = 1-\frac{n}{2}$, and this last expression is $1$ only for $n=0$, contradicting our choice of $n$ as positive non-integer.

We have shown that for any positive non-integer $n$, we can find two functions whose $n^\text{th}$ derivatives agree at a point but whose values do not agree at the same point. So just as for positive integer derivatives, two functions' derivatives agreeing at a point is insufficient to conclude that the two functions are equal at that point.

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Short answer - no.

Possible correction: instead of "for some postive real n" try "for all postive integral n" (I'll not discuss non-integral derivatives here. That's a separate topic)

But still then, the answer is no.

consider: g(x)=f(x) + e^(-1/(x-a)^2)

f and g satisfy your conditions but are not equal except for X=a.

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