Content formulas for polynomials and power series and complete integral closure (Q1913940)

Let \(A_f\) denote the content of a polynomial \(f\in R[x]\) or a (Laurent) power series \(f\in R[[x]]\), \(R\) being a commutative ring with 1. The authors look for necessary and/or sufficient conditions for \(R\) such that \((*)\) \(A_{fg}=A_fA_g\) holds. Firstly for some of the already known results in the polynomial case new proofs are given. Then these results are carried over to the general case. For instance, if \(R\) is a quasilocal domain, the following statements are equivalent (theorem 2.4): (i) \((*)\) holds for all \(f,g\in R[[x]]\), (ii) \((*)\) holds for all \(f\in R[x]\), \(g\in R[[x]]\), (iii) \(R\) is either a field or a one-dimensional valuation domain. Further investigations concern the content relation \((A_{fg})_v = (A_fA_g)_v\) for the star-operation \(v\), \(A_v\) being \((A^{-1})^{-1}\).