CIS 655       Summer 2005      

Assignment 6 – Genetic Algorithms

Due: Start of Class on 08/03/05

               There wasn’t suitable public domain software for Genetic Algorithms. So I wrote some – the cost is that the program is for a specific application rather than a general shell. And my IDE gave me trouble creating executables, so we will use source code + IDE to run this. In the lab, the IDE available is Sun’s Forte. On my WWW page (under review), there is a zip file with source code plus two data files (forSGAzip.zip). Download that file and follow the instructions in www.lasalle.edu/~redmond/teach/655/GeneticAlgInstructions.htm to set up and run the software. This is an optimization problem introduced in the Negnevitsky book; maintenance of power producing units is to be scheduled so as to maximize the lowest quarterly power surplus. 

 Task:

1. Tuning Experiment

· Run the genetic algorithm program on the data: PowerUnitMaintHard.txt with a variety of parameters.  Note that a successful solution of the problem requires a solution to have a rating (strength) of at least zero (anything less and there is a period in which not enough power will be generated).  I made this problem “hard” – you may not get a successful solution right away.

a. Save the results when you get a successful solution and turn in a soft (electronic) copy of the file.

b. Use Excel to graph the best and average solution strength by generation (you should be able to load the generation by generation results into Excel pretty easily). Turn in hard or soft copy.

c. Copy a (highest rated) solution from the output panel. Turn in hard or soft copy.

d. Explain the solution in a way a manager could understand.

2. “On Paper” Exercise
• Suppose the program chose the following parents and a crossover point of 3

 Parents:

      solution: S476 {  last2  first2  fourthQtr  firstQtr  fourthQtr  secondQtr  fourthQtr  last3  last2  first3  secondQtr  }  (strength: -30.00)

      solution: S491 {  middle2  first2  firstQtr  fourthQtr  thirdQtr  firstQtr  thirdQtr  first3  first2  last3  thirdQtr  }  (strength: -15.00)

• Question: What children are produced (assuming no mutations)?

NOTE:

• I expect that the experiment part of this should be able to be completed in class. In order to run this outside of class, you would need: 1) the zip file; 2) Java; and 3) a Java IDE that is not too picky about folder structures. It shouldn’t take too much time – try to do this in the lab!