Fundamental concepts in genetic algorithms

In order to build a genetic algorithm, we need to understand several key concepts and terminology. These concepts are used extensively throughout the field of genetic algorithms to build solutions to various problems. One of the most important aspects of genetic algorithms is the randomness. In order to iterate, it relies on the random sampling of individuals. This means that the process is non-deterministic. So, if you run the same algorithm multiple times, you might end up with different solutions.

Let's talk about population. A population is a set of individuals that are possible candidate solutions. In a genetic algorithm, we do not maintain a single best solution at any given stage. It maintains a set of potential solutions, one of which is the best. But the other solutions play an important role during the search. Since we have a population of solutions, it is less likely that will get stuck in a local optimum. Getting stuck in the local optimum...