rik@SDCSVAX.UCSD.EDU (Rik Belew) (02/06/88)
Mark Goldfain asks: Would someone do me a favor and post or email a short definition of the term "Genetic Learning Algorithm" or "Genetic Algorithm" ? I feel like Genetic Algorithms has two, not quite distinct meanings these days. First, there is a particular (class of) algorithms developed by John Holland and his students. This GA(1) has at its most distinctive feature the "cross-over" operator, which Holland has gone to some effort to characterize analytically. Then there is a broader class GA(2) of genetic algorithms (sometimes also called "simulated evolution") that bear some loose resemblence to population genetics. These date back to at least Fogel, Owen and Walsh (1966). Generally, these algorithms make use of only a "mutation" operator. The complication comes with work like Ackley's thesis (CMU, 1987) which refers to Holland's GA(1), but which is most accurately described as a GA(2). Richard K. Belew rik@cs.ucsd.edu Computer Science & Engr. Dept. (C-014) Univ. Calif - San Diego San Diego, CA 92093