Restricted elasticity and rings of integer-valued polynomials determined by finite subsets (Q2505581)

Let \(D\) be an integral domain with non-empty set \(A(D)\) of irreducible elements, and let \(F(D)\) be the semigroup generated by \(A(D)\). For \(x\in F(D)\) let \(m(x), n(x)\) be the lengths of the longest and shortest representations of \(x\) as a product of irreducibles. The authors define the restricted elasticity \(\rho_r(D)\) of \(D\) as the least upper bound of the ratio \(m(x)/n(x)\) and study this notion in the case when \(D=D(R,E)\) is the set of polynomials which map a finite subset \(E\) of an integral domain \(R\) into \(R\), and have coefficients in the field of fractions of \(R\). In particular it is shown that if \(R\) is a UFD, and \(E\) has at least two elements, then \(\rho_r(D(R,E))\) is infinite.