A genetic algorithm is a search heuristic (related to making guesses) algorithm that is inspired by Charles Darwin’s theory of natural evolution (related to how life evolves). This algorithm reflects the process of natural selection where the fundamental idea is that the fittest individuals are selected for reproduction in order to produce offspring of the next generation.



There are five phases in a genetic algorithm namely:



Initial population

Fitness function

Selection

Crossover

Mutation

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://iq.opengenus.org/basics-of-genetic-algorithms/