GA

Dear /prog/,

This summer I need to avoid boredom. I'm teaching myself C, and would like my summer project to be a genetic algorithm. I've done an independent study with a professor, but there was no coding involved, just general theory. What would be a practical problem to find a solution for using a GA for the intention of learning?

>>1
Potentially practical and enlightening problems for GAs include:
- Function minimization of a function with multiple minima (f(x,y) = x * sin(4*x) + 1.1 * y * sin(2*y))
- Model fitting (least squares, polynomials etc.)
- The travelling salesman problem
Compare best and mean fitness values for different methods of parent selection (simple, cost-ranking).