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From: roberson@ibd.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca (Walter Roberson)
Newsgroups: comp.soft-sys.matlab
Subject: Re: Find Minimum
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:40:01 +0000 (UTC)
Organization: National Research Council Canada - Conseil national de rechereches Canada
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In article <op.t6dgukul1g2ca1@whitaker-four-eighty-six.mit.edu>,
Arthur G <gorramfreak+news@gmail.com> wrote:

>If we are willing to accept an algorithm that is not *guaranteed* to
>converge to the *global* minimum,

The original poster's requirements were,

>>>The only thing I know is to evaluate the function value.

>>>I need the values of A, B and C that minimizes the value of X using
>>>the following constraints:

Not "find a minima" or "find a good minima" but "minimizes", which
means a global minima.

>then I would argue that genetic algorithms are a viable option.

Well, they will explore the state space, but an arbitrary
black-box function could have any number of sharp valleys
that genetic algorithms would only find by chance, especially if
the valleys were embedded in what are otherwise local maxima.
-- 
  "The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic
  side of truth, wisdom, is dying out."       -- Walter Benjamin