Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
This paper extends the results of A. L. Foster (1) on elementary factorization in Boolean-like rings to commutative π-regular rings. After proving some preliminary lemmas we proceed to the partition of the set of non-units of a π-regular ring into irreducible and composite elements. Finally, we prove a number of theorems concerning factorization rings, weakly unique factorization rings, principal ideal rings, etc. The principal result is that a π-regular ring is a weakly unique factorization ring if and only if it is a principal ideal ring.