Scribd
Upload
46 views

Genetic Algorithm: From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The document discusses genetic algorithms, which are a type of evolutionary algorithm used to generate useful solutions to optimization and search problems. Genetic algorithms work by mimicking the natural selection process, using techniques like inheritance, mutation, selection and crossover to generate solutions to optimization problems. The document details the methodology of genetic algorithms, including initialization of populations, selection of individuals, genetic operators, and termination conditions.

Uploaded by

a_44m
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
46 views

Genetic Algorithm: From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The document discusses genetic algorithms, which are a type of evolutionary algorithm used to generate useful solutions to optimization and search problems. Genetic algorithms work by mimicking the natural selection process, using techniques like inheritance, mutation, selection and crossover to generate solutions to optimization problems. The document details the methodology of genetic algorithms, including initialization of populations, selection of individuals, genetic operators, and termination conditions.

Uploaded by

a_44m
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Genetic algorithm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2006 NASA ST5 spacecraft antenna. This complicated shape was found by an evolutionary computer
design program to create the best radiation pattern. It is known as anevolved antenna.

In the field of mathematical optimization, a genetic algorithm (GA) is a search heuristic that
mimics the process of natural selection. This heuristic (also sometimes called a metaheuristic) is
routinely used to generate useful solutions to optimization and search problems.[1]Genetic
algorithms belong to the larger class of evolutionary algorithms (EA), which generate solutions to
optimization problems using techniques inspired by natural evolution, such
as inheritance, mutation, selection and crossover.
Contents
[hide]

1Methodology
1.1Optimization problems

1.1.1Initialization

1.1.2Selection

1.1.3Genetic operators

1.1.4Termination

2The building block hypothesis

3Limitations

4Variants

4.1Chromosome representation

4.2Elitism

4.3Parallel implementations

4.4Adaptive GAs

5Problem domains

6History
6.1Commercial products

7Related techniques
o

7.1Parent fields

7.2Related fields

7.2.1Evolutionary algorithms

7.2.2Swarm intelligence

7.2.3Other evolutionary computing algorithms

7.2.4Other metaheuristic methods

7.2.5Other stochastic optimisation methods

8See also

9References

10Bibliography

11External links
o

11.1Resources

11.2Tutorials

Methodology[edit]
Optimization problems[edit]
In a genetic algorithm, a population of candidate solutions (called individuals, creatures,
or phenotypes) to an optimization problem is evolved toward better solutions. Each candidate
solution has a set of properties (its chromosomes or genotype) which can be mutated and
altered; traditionally, solutions are represented in binary as strings of 0s and 1s, but other
encodings are also possible.[2]

The evolution usually starts from a population of randomly generated individuals, and is
an iterative process, with the population in each iteration called a generation. In each generation,
the fitness of every individual in the population is evaluated; the fitness is usually the value of
the objective function in the optimization problem being solved. The more fit individuals
are stochastically selected from the current population, and each individual's genome is modified
(recombined and possibly randomly mutated) to form a new generation. The new generation of
candidate solutions is then used in the next iteration of the algorithm. Commonly, the algorithm
terminates when either a maximum number of generations has been produced, or a satisfactory
fitness level has been reached for the population.
A typical genetic algorithm requires:
1. a genetic representation of the solution domain,
2. a fitness function to evaluate the solution domain.
A standard representation of each candidate solution is as an array of bits.[2] Arrays of other types
and structures can be used in essentially the same way. The main property that makes these
genetic representations convenient is that their parts are easily aligned due to their fixed size,
which facilitates simple crossover operations. Variable length representations may also be used,
but crossover implementation is more complex in this case. Tree-like representations are
explored in genetic programming and graph-form representations are explored in evolutionary
programming; a mix of both linear chromosomes and trees is explored in gene expression
programming.
Once the genetic representation and the fitness function are defined, a GA proceeds to initialize
a population of solutions and then to improve it through repetitive application of the mutation,
crossover, inversion and selection operators.

You might also like