Divisor (ring theory)

In mathematics, the notion of a divisor originally arose within the context of arithmetic of whole numbers. Please see the page about divisors for this simplest example. With the development of abstract rings, of which the integers are the archetype, the original notion of divisor found a natural extension. Divisibility is a useful concept for the analysis of the structure of commutative rings, because of its relationship with the ideal structure of such rings.