Genetic Algorithm and Direct Search Toolbox

Stopping Conditions for the Algorithm

The genetic algorithm uses the following five conditions to determine when to stop:

• Generations -- The algorithm stops when the number of generations reaches the value of Generations.
• Time limit -- The algorithm stops after running for an amount of time in seconds equal to Time limit.
• Fitness limit -- The algorithm stops when the value of the fitness function for the best point in the current population is less than or equal to Fitness limit.
• Stall generations -- The algorithm stops if there is no improvement in the objective function for a sequence of consecutive generations of length Stall generations.
• Stall time limit -- The algorithm stops if there is no improvement in the objective function during an interval of time in seconds equal to Stall time limit.

The algorithm stops as soon as any one of these five conditions is met. You can specify the values of these criteria in the Stopping criteria options in the Genetic Algorithm Tool. The default values are shown in the figure below.

When you run the genetic algorithm, the Status panel displays the criterion that caused the algorithm to stop.

The options Stall time limit and Time limit prevent the algorithm from running too long. If the algorithm stops due to one of these conditions, you might improve your results by increasing the values of Stall time limit and Time limit.

Plots of Later Generations

Getting Started with Direct Search

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