Ideal may refer to:

Philosophy

* Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato

Mathematics

Ideal (ring theory) In ring theory, a branch of abstract algebra, an ideal of a ring is a special subset of its elements. Ideals generalize certain subsets of the integers, such as the even numbers or the multiples of 3. Addition and subtraction of even numbers pr ...

, special subsets of a ring considered in abstract algebra * Ideal, special subsets of a semigroup *

Ideal (order theory) In mathematical order theory, an ideal is a special subset of a partially ordered set (poset). Although this term historically was derived from the notion of a ring ideal of abstract algebra, it has subsequently been generalized to a different noti ...

, special kind of lower sets of an order *

Ideal (set theory) In the mathematical field of set theory, an ideal is a partially ordered collection of sets that are considered to be "small" or "negligible". Every subset of an element of the ideal must also be in the ideal (this codifies the idea that an ideal ...

, a collection of sets regarded as "small" or "negligible" *

Ideal (Lie algebra) In mathematics, a Lie algebra (pronounced ) is a vector space \mathfrak g together with an operation called the Lie bracket, an alternating bilinear map \mathfrak g \times \mathfrak g \rightarrow \mathfrak g, that satisfies the Jacobi ident ...

, a particular subset in a Lie algebra *

Ideal point In hyperbolic geometry, an ideal point, omega point or point at infinity is a well-defined point outside the hyperbolic plane or space. Given a line ''l'' and a point ''P'' not on ''l'', right- and left-limiting parallels to ''l'' through ''P'' ...

, a boundary point in hyperbolic geometry * Ideal triangle, a triangle in hyperbolic geometry whose vertices are ideal points

Science

* Ideal chain, in science, the simplest model describing a polymer *

Ideal gas law The ideal gas law, also called the general gas equation, is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas. It is a good approximation of the behavior of many gases under many conditions, although it has several limitations. It was first stat ...

, in physics, governing the pressure of an ideal gas * Ideal transformer, an electrical

transformer A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...

having zero resistance and perfect magnetic threading *

Ideal final result TRIZ (; russian: теория решения изобретательских задач, ', lit. "theory of inventive problem solving") is “the next evolutionary step in creating an organized and systematic approach to problem solving. The deve ...

, in TRIZ methodology, the best possible solution *

Thought experiment A thought experiment is a hypothetical situation in which a hypothesis, theory, or principle is laid out for the purpose of thinking through its consequences. History The ancient Greek ''deiknymi'' (), or thought experiment, "was the most anci ...

, sometimes called an ideal experiment *

Ideal type Ideal type (german: Idealtypus), also known as pure type, is a typological term most closely associated with sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920). For Weber, the conduct of social science depends upon the construction of abstract, hypothetical co ...

, a social science term *

Ideal solution In chemistry, an ideal solution or ideal mixture is a solution that exhibits thermodynamic properties analogous to those of a mixture of ideal gases. The enthalpy of mixing is zero as is the volume change on mixing by definition; the closer to zero ...

, a solution with thermodynamic properties analogous to those of a mixture of ideal gases

Entertainment

Ideal (group) Ideal was an American R&B quartet from Houston, Texas, United States. The group debuted in 1999 and was composed of brothers Maverick "Mav" and Cedrick "Swab" Cotton, their cousin Wayne "PZ" Perry, and high school friend Jay "J-Dante" Green, a ...

, a late-1990s/2000s American R&B group * Ideal (German band), an early-1980s German rock group * ''Ideal'' (album), a 1999 album by the R&B group Ideal * ''

An Ideal ''An Ideal'' () is the third studio album by Chinese singer-songwriter Ronghao Li, released on January 22, 2016, by Warner Music Taiwan Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Par ...

'', a 2016 album by Li Ronghao * ''Ideal'' (novel), a 1934 novel by Ayn Rand, published in 2015 ** ''Ideal'' (play), a 1936 play by Ayn Rand, adapted from the novel, published in 1989 * ''Ideal'' (TV series), a British situation comedy * Ideal Film Company, a British film studio of the Silent Era * Ideal Ice Cream, an ice cream company * Ideal Toy Company, a defunct toy company

Places

* Ideal, Georgia * Ideal, Illinois * Ideal, South Dakota * Ideal Mini School

Miscellaneous

* Changhe Ideal, a city car produced by a joint-venture of Changhe and Suzuki *

Ideal 18 The Ideal 18 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by Bruce Kirby as a one design racer and first built in 1989.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 88-89. Houghton Miff ...

, a Canadian sailboat design *

IDEAL Scholars Fund Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considered ...

, an American scholarship program for underrepresented students * ''Ideal'' (newspaper), a Spanish-language newspaper *

iDEAL Ideal may refer to: Philosophy * Ideal (ethics), values that one actively pursues as goals * Platonic ideal, a philosophical idea of trueness of form, associated with Plato Mathematics * Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considere ...

, an online payment method in the Netherlands *

Ideal Industries Ideal Industries is an American company that produces connectors, hand tools, testers, and meters for the electrical and telecommunications industries. The company manufactures many of its products in the United States. It also owns Western Fo ...

, an American manufacturer of electrical connectors and tools *

IDEAL framework IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study) is a framework for describing the stages of innovation in surgery and other interventional procedures. The purpose of IDEAL is to improve the quality of research in surgery by emph ...