Exploring Selection
Learn about what selection is and the importance that it entails.
Introducing selection
In the last chapter, we learned how to evaluate solutions using fitness functions. Remember, fitness functions measure the viability of a solution. Fitness functions are an important aspect of our genetic algorithm, but they mean nothing if they aren’t used. With the population evaluated, and each chromosome assigned a fitness, it’s time to perform a selection.
If you’ve ever been on a team, you understand the importance of having the right people. Whether it be in sports, music, work, or any collaboration, choosing the right people to fill positions and complement other members is vital to the success of the organization. This idea of selecting the right people to fill the right roles directly correlates to selection in genetic algorithms.
Selection is the first genetic operator in an evolution. On the surface, selection is responsible for choosing chromosomes that will reproduce in the next step. At its core, selection is responsible for ensuring the next generation of chromosomes is even stronger than the last.
Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution suggests that strong traits that are key to survival become more common in successive generations. Whether you believe in evolution or not, the idea of “natural selection” is a key aspect of genetic algorithms.
Difference between artificial and natural selection
In the context ...