Defining length

This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

In genetic algorithms and genetic programming defining length L(H) is the maximum distance between two defining symbols (that is symbols that have a fixed value as opposed to symbols that can take any value, commonly denoted as # or *) in schema H. In tree GP schemata, L(H) is the number of links in the minimum tree fragment including all the non-= symbols within a schema H.^[1]

Schemata "00##0", "1###1", "01###", and "##0##" have defining lengths of 4, 4, 1, and 0, respectively. Lengths are computed by determining the last fixed position and subtracting from it the first fixed position.

In genetic algorithms as the defining length of a solution increases so does the susceptibility of the solution to disruption due to mutation or cross-over.

This computer science article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e