Different Populations in Genetic Algorithms

Growing and shrinking populations

Genetic algorithms can operate on either fixed or variable population sizes. All of the genetic algorithms we’ve implemented so far have had fixed size populations. The distinction between replacement and reinsertion lies in how the population size is affected. Replacement strategies focus specifically on maintaining a fixed population size where they replace old chromosomes with new ones. Reinsertion strategies focus mainly on inserting new chromosomes into a population where they integrate new chromosomes with old ones. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, their meanings are slightly different.