$T(1) = 1 , T(n) = 2T(n/2) + n^3$? Divide and conquer $T(1) = 1 , T(n) = 2T(n/2) + n^3$? Divide and conquer, need help, I dont know how to solve it?
 A: The homogeneous part of the equation $T(n) =2 T(n/2)$ has the general solution $$T_0(n) = C n.$$ So all what we have to do is find a particular solution of the inhomogeneous equation $$T(n) = 2 T(n/2) + n^{3} .$$ Quite often it is good to try an ansatz which has the same form as the inhomogeneous term. Therefore, we try $T_p(n) = c n^3$ which yields $$c n^3 = \frac{c}{4} n^3 + n^3.$$ Solving for $c$, we get the particular solution $T_p(n)= \frac{4}{3} n^3$.
The general solution therefore has the form $T(n) =T_0(n) + T_p(n)$. With the initial condition $T(1)=1$, we obtain $C= - \frac{1}{3}$. So the solution is given by 
$$ T(n) = \frac{n}{3} (4 n^2 -1). $$
A: Use Akra-Bazzi which is more useful than the Master Theorem.
Using Akra-Bazzi, I believe you get $$T(x) = \theta(x^3)$$
You can also use the Case 3 of Master theorem in the wiki link above. (Note: That also gives $\theta(x^3)$.)
A: Hmm, possibly another way of heuristics is instructive.
First write the undisputable elements of the sequence:
$$\begin{array}  &
  a(1) &=&a(2^0) & = & 1 \\\
   a(2)&=&a(2^1) &=&10 &= & 2^3 + 2*1  &=& 2*(4^1+1) \\\
   a(4)&=&a(2^2) &=&84 &=& 4^3 + 2*10  &=& 4*(4^2+4^1+1)  \\\
   a(8)&=&a(2^3) &=&680 &=& 8^3 + 2*84 &=& 8^3+2*4^3+4*2^3+8*1^3\\\
       & &       & &                   &=& 8*(4^3+4^2+4^1+1)  \\\  
   \ldots &=&a(2^k)&=& \ldots 
   \end{array} $$
It is obvious how this can be continued, because at the exponent k we get always $8^k$ plus two times the previous, thus the weighted sum of all powers of 8 which can be expressed as consecutive powers of 4:
$$ a(2^k) = 2^k*(4^k+4^{k-1} \ldots +4^0)= 2^k*\frac{4^{k+1}-1}{4-1} $$
Now the step "divide" can be taken: the above gives also a meaningful possibility for interpolation of the non-explicitely defined elements. If we allow base-2 logarithms for k we get for
$$\begin{array} &
 & a(2^k) &= & 2^k*\frac{4^{k+1}-1}{4-1} \\\
  &      &= & 2^k*\frac{4*(2^{k})^2-1}{3} \\\
      \text{assuming }& k&=& \frac{\log(n)}{\log(2)} \\\
 & a(n)  &=& n*\frac{4*n^2-1}{3} \\\
  &      &=& n^3 + \frac{(n-1)n(n+1)}{3!} \\\
   &     &=& n^3 + 2*\binom{n+1}{3} \\\
 \end{array} $$
where the expression in the fourth line is the same as Fabian's result.
A: There  is another  closely  related recurrence  that  admits an  exact
solution.  Suppose we  have  $T(0)=0$  and for  $n\ge  1$ (this  gives
$T(1)=1$)
$$T(n) = 2 T(\lfloor n/2 \rfloor) + n^3.$$
Furthermore let the base two representation of $n$ be
$$n = \sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor \log_3 n \rfloor} d_k 2^k.$$
Then we  can unroll the  recurrence to obtain the  following exact
formula for $n\ge 1$
$$T(n) = \sum_{j=0}^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} 
2^j \left(
\sum_{k=j}^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} d_k 2^{k-j}
\right)^3.$$
Now to get an upper bound consider a string of one digits which yields
$$T(n) \le \sum_{j=0}^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} 
2^j \left(
\sum_{k=j}^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} 2^{k-j}
\right)^3.$$
Note that this bound is attained and cannot be improved. It simplifies
to
$$\frac{32}{3} 8^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor}
- 24 \times 4^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor}
+ \left(6 \lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor + \frac{40}{3}\right) 
\times 2^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} + 1.$$
The lower bound is for the case of a one digit followed by a string of
zeros and yields
$$T(n) \ge \sum_{j=0}^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} 
2^j \left(
2^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor-j}
\right)^3.$$
It simplifies to
$$\frac{4}{3} 8^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor} 
- \frac{1}{3} 2^{\lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor}$$
and this matches the results posted by the other contributors.

Joining the dominant terms of the upper and the lower bound we obtain
the asymptotics
$$2^{3 \lfloor \log_2 n \rfloor}
\in \Theta\left(2^{3 \log_2 n}\right) 
= \Theta\left(n^3\right).$$
These are both in agreement with what the Master theorem would produce.
This MSE link has a series of similar calculations.
