Some theoretical results about the computation time of evolutionary algorithms

This paper focuses on the computation time of evolutionary algorithms. First, some exact expressions of the mean first hitting times of general evolutionary algorithms in finite search spaces are obtained theoretically by using the properties of Markov chain. Then, by introducing drift analysis and applying Dynkin’s Formula, the general upper and lower bounds of the mean first hitting times of evolutionary algorithms are given rigorously under some mild conditions. These results obtained in this paper, and the analytic methods used in this paper, are widely valid for analyzing the computation time of evolutionary algorithms in any search space(finite or infinite)as long as some simple technique processes are introduced. Categories and Subject Descriptors F.2 [Analysis of Algorithms and Problem Complexity]: Miscellaneous; I.2.8 [Problem Solving, Control Methods, and Search]: Complexity—computation time General Terms Algorithms Keywords evolutionary algorithms, computation time...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: GECCO
• Authors: Lixin X. Ding, Jinghu Yu
• Keywords: Evolutionary Algorithms, GECCO 2005, Mean first Hitting, first Hitting Times