👉 In philosophy and mathematics, an idealisation is a form of abstraction that involves representing or mimicking something in such a way as to make it appear more real or appealing. It can be used to create a sense of reality or to improve one's understanding of a subject by simplifying its characteristics. For example, if someone were to say "I love pizza", they might imagine pizza as a perfectly round and smooth object with a thin crust that is cooked in an oven. This idealisation would make