Topic summary
Unique factorization domain
In mathematics, a unique factorization domain (UFD) (also sometimes called a factorial ring following the terminology of Bourbaki) is a ring in which a statement analogous to the fundamental theorem of arithmetic holds. Specifically, a UFD is an integral domain (a nontrivialcommutative ring in which the product of any two non-zero elements is non-zero) in which every non-zero non-unit element can be written as a product of irreducible elements, uniquely up to order and units.
Important examples of UFDs are the integers and polynomial rings in one or more variables with coefficients coming from the integers or from a field.
Unique factorization domains appear in the following chain of class inclusions: