Ideal

Ideal may refer to:

In philosophy

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

In mathematics

• Ideal (ring theory), special subsets of a ring considered in abstract algebra
• Ideal, special subsets of a semigroup
• Ideal (order theory), special kind of lower sets of an order
• Ideal (set theory), a collection of sets regarded as "small" or "negligible"
• Ideal (Lie algebra), a particular subset in lie algebra

In science

• Ideal chain, in science, the simplest model describing a polymer
• Ideal gas law, in physics, governing the pressure of an ideal gas
• Ideal transformer, an electrical transformer having zero resistance and perfect magnetic threading
• Ideal Final Result, in TRIZ methodology, the best possible solution
• Ideality (phrenology), in phrenology, the disposition towards refinement and perfection
• Thought experiment, sometimes called an ideal experiment
• Ideal type, a social science term
• Ideal solution, a solution with thermodynamic properties analogous to those of a mixture of ideal gases

Entertainment

• Ideal (TV series), a British situation comedy
• Ideal (band), late 1990s/2000s American R&B group
• Ideal (German band), early 1980s German rock group
• Ideal Toy Company, a now defunct toy company
• Ideal (album), the 1999 eponymous debut album by the R&B group

Other uses

• Changhe Ideal, a city car produced by a joint-venture of Changhe and Suzuki
• IDEAL Scholars Fund, an American scholarship program for underrepresented students
• Ideal, Georgia, a community in the United States
• iDEAL, an online payment method in the Netherlands
• Ideal Industries, an American manufacturer of electrical connectors and tools

Places

• Ideal, Illinois
• Ideal, South Dakota
• Ideal Mini School

See also

• Idealism (disambiguation)
• Idea