A Search for Counterexamples to Two Conjectures on the Simple Genetic Algorithm

A Search for Counterexamples to Two Conjectures on 
the Simple Genetic Algorithm

Alden H. Wright
 Computer Science Dept.
The University of Montana  
Missoula, MT 59812-1008  
wright@cs.umt.edu 

Garrett Bidwell
Cambridge, MA
bidwell@cs.umt.edu}

ABSTRACT

We empirically searched for cycling and chaotic behavior in
the infinite population Simple Genetic Algorithm.  We found
examples of period 2 cycling (which we expected) and long period
cycling (which we didn't expect).  These examples had mutation and
crossover distributions which do not correspond to the way that mutation
and crossover are normally used in practice.  We also searched
unsuccessfully for stable polymorphic fixed points in the zero mutation 
case.