ideal element

British  

noun

1. any element added to a mathematical theory in order to eliminate special cases. The ideal element i = √–1 allows all algebraic equations to be solved and the point at infinity ( ideal point ) ensures that any two lines in projective geometry intersect

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Example Sentences

As the lightest metal on the periodic table, and the one most eager to shed its electrons, lithium is the ideal element to make powerful, portable batteries.

From Nature • Oct. 27, 2015

The world cannot be all of the higher ideal element.

From Elizabeth Hobart at Exeter Hall by Vosburgh, R. G.

Denying that life has an ideal element, they take pains to mirror it, line for line, and blemish for blemish.

From The Poet's Poet : essays on the character and mission of the poet as interpreted in English verse of the last one hundred and fifty years by Atkins, Elizabeth

He turned his eyes and saw her emotion, which greatly increased the ideal element in her expressive face.

From Desperate Remedies by Hardy, Thomas

In the water, their ideal element, I must say these animals swim wonderfully thanks to their flexible backbones, narrow pelvises, close–cropped hair, and webbed feet.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.