Genetic Algorithms

Genetic Algorithm (GA) is a search-based optimization technique based on the principles

of Genetics and Natural Selection. It is frequently used to find optimal or near-optimal
solutions to difficult problems which otherwise would take a lifetime to solve. It is frequently
used to solve optimization problems, in research, and in machine learning.

Introduction to Optimization

Optimization is the process of making something better. In any process, we have a set of
inputs and a set of outputs as shown in the following figure.

Optimization refers to finding the values of inputs in such a way that we get the “best” output
values. The definition of “best” varies from problem to problem, but in mathematical terms, it
refers to maximizing or minimizing one or more objective functions, by varying the input
parameters.

The set of all possible solutions or values which the inputs can take make up the search space.
In this search space, lies a point or a set of points which gives the optimal solution. The aim of
optimization is to find that point or set of points in the search space.

What are Genetic Algorithms?

Nature has always been a great source of inspiration to all mankind. Genetic Algorithms (GAs)
are search based algorithms based on the concepts of natural selection and genetics. GAs are a
subset of a much larger branch of computation known as Evolutionary Computation.
GAs was developed by John Holland and his students and colleagues at the University of
Michigan, most notably David E. Goldberg and has since been tried on various optimization
problems with a high degree of success.

In GAs, we have a pool or a population of possible solutions to the given problem. These
solutions then undergo recombination and mutation (like in natural genetics), producing new
children, and the process is repeated over various generations. Each individual (or candidate
solution) is assigned a fitness value (based on its objective function value) and the fitter
individuals are given a higher chance to mate and yield more “fitter” individuals. This is in line
with the Darwinian Theory of “Survival of the Fittest”.

In this way we keep “evolving” better individuals or solutions over generations, till we reach a
stopping criterion.

Genetic Algorithms are sufficiently randomized in nature, but they perform much better than
random local search (in which we just try various random solutions, keeping track of the best so
far), as they exploit historical information as well.

Advantages of GAs

GAs has various advantages which have made them immensely popular. These include −

• Does not require any derivative information (which may not be available for many real-
world problems).

• Is faster and more efficient as compared to the traditional methods.

• Has a very good parallel capability.

• Optimizes both continuous and discrete functions and also multi-objective problems.

• Provides a list of “good” solutions and not just a single solution.

• Always gets an answer to the problem, which gets better over the time.

• Useful when the search space is very large and there are a large number of parameters
involved.
Limitations of GAs

Like any technique, GAs also suffer from a few limitations. These include −

• GAs are not suited for all problems, especially problems which are simple and for which
derivative information is available.

• Fitness value is calculated repeatedly which might be computationally expensive for

some problems.

• Being stochastic, there are no guarantees on the optimality or the quality of the solution.

• If not implemented properly, the GA may not converge to the optimal solution.

GA – Motivation

Genetic Algorithms have the ability to deliver a “good-enough” solution “fast-enough”. This
makes genetic algorithms attractive for use in solving optimization problems. The reasons why
GAs are needed are as follows −

Solving Difficult Problems

In computer science, there is a large set of problems, which are NP-Hard. What this essentially
means is that, even the most powerful computing systems take a very long time (even years!) to
solve that problem. In such a scenario, GAs prove to be an efficient tool to provide usable
near-optimal solutions in a short amount of time.

Failure of Gradient Based Methods

Traditional calculus based methods work by starting at a random point and by moving in the
direction of the gradient, till we reach the top of the hill. This technique is efficient and works
very well for single-peaked objective functions like the cost function in linear regression. But,
in most real-world situations, we have a very complex problem called as landscapes, which are
made of many peaks and many valleys, which causes such methods to fail, as they suffer from
an inherent tendency of getting stuck at the local optima as shown in the following figure.
Getting a Good Solution Fast

Some difficult problems like the Travelling Salesperson Problem (TSP), have real-world
applications like path finding and VLSI Design. Now imagine that you are using your GPS
Navigation system, and it takes a few minutes (or even a few hours) to compute the “optimal”
path from the source to destination. Delay in such real world applications is not acceptable and
therefore a “good-enough” solution, which is delivered “fast” is what is required.

Genetic Algorithms - Fundamentals

This section introduces the basic terminology required to understand GAs. Also, a generic
structure of GAs is presented in both pseudo-code and graphical forms. The reader is advised
to properly understand all the concepts introduced in this section and keep them in mind when
reading other sections of this tutorial as well.
Basic Terminology

Before beginning a discussion on Genetic Algorithms, it is essential to be familiar with some

basic terminology which will be used throughout this tutorial.

• Population − It is a subset of all the possible (encoded) solutions to the given problem.
The population for a GA is analogous to the population for human beings except that
instead of human beings, we have Candidate Solutions representing human beings.

• Chromosomes − A chromosome is one such solution to the given problem.

• Gene − A gene is one element position of a chromosome.

• Allele − It is the value a gene takes for a particular chromosome.

• Genotype − Genotype is the population in the computation space. In the computation

space, the solutions are represented in a way which can be easily understood and
manipulated using a computing system.

• Phenotype − Phenotype is the population in the actual real world solution space in
which solutions are represented in a way they are represented in real world situations.
• Decoding and Encoding − For simple problems, the phenotype and genotype spaces
are the same. However, in most of the cases, the phenotype and genotype spaces are
different. Decoding is a process of transforming a solution from the genotype to the
phenotype space, while encoding is a process of transforming from the phenotype to
genotype space. Decoding should be fast as it is carried out repeatedly in a GA during
the fitness value calculation.

For example, consider the 0/1 Knapsack Problem. The Phenotype space consists of
solutions which just contain the item numbers of the items to be picked.

However, in the genotype space it can be represented as a binary string of length n

(where n is the number of items). A 0 at position x represents that xth item is picked
while a 1 represents the reverse. This is a case where genotype and phenotype spaces are
different.

• Fitness Function − A fitness function simply defined is a function which takes the
solution as input and produces the suitability of the solution as the output. In some cases,
the fitness function and the objective function may be the same, while in others it might
be different based on the problem.

• Genetic Operators − These alter the genetic composition of the offspring. These include
crossover, mutation, selection, etc.