Dynamics of functions with an eventual negative Schwarzian derivative

Abstract

In the study of one dimensional dynamical systems one often assumes that the functions involved have a negative Schwarzian derivative. In this paper we consider a generalization of this condition. Specifically, we consider the interval functions of a real variable having some iterate with a negative Schwarzian derivative and show that many known results generalize to this larger class of functions. The introduction of this class was motivated by some maps arising in neuroscience.