In this chapter, you will learn how genetic algorithms can be utilized in combinatorial optimization applications. We will start by describing search problems and combinatorial optimization, and outline several hands-on examples of combinatorial optimization problems. We will then analyze each of these problems and match them with a Python-based solution using the DEAP framework. The optimization problems we will cover are the well-known knapsack problem, the traveling salesman problem (TSP), and the vehicle routing problem (VRP). As a bonus, we will cover the topics of genotype-to-phenotype mapping and exploration versus exploitation.
In this chapter, you will do the following:
- Understand the nature of search problems and combinatorial optimization
- Solve the knapsack problem using a genetic algorithm coded with the DEAP framework
- Solve the TSP using...
