Evolving modular recursive sorting algorithms

Abstract

A fundamental issue in evolutionary learning is the definition of the solution representation language. We present the application of Object Oriented Genetic Programming to the task of coevolving general recursive sorting algorithms along with their primitive representation alphabet. We report the computational effort required to evolve target solutions and provide a comparison between crossover and mutation variation operators, and also undirected random search. We found that the induction of evolved method signatures (typed parameters and return type) can be realized through an evolutionary fitness-driven process. We also found that the evolutionary algorithm outperformed undirected random search, and that mutation performed better than crossover in this problem domain. The main result is that modular sorting algorithms can be evolved. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.