Evolutionary computation is the study of computational systems which use ideas and get inspirations from natural evolution and adaptation. This book is devoted to the theory and applications of evolutionary computation. It is a self-contained volume which covers both introductory material and selected advanced topics. The book can be divided into four major parts: introduction, theory, evolutionary optimisation, and evolutionary learning. Each part consists of several chapters which present an in-depth discussion of selected topics. The emphasis of this book is on problem solving techniques. A strong connection is established between evolutionary algorithms and traditional search algorithms. This connection has enabled us to incorporate many good ideas in more established fields into evolutionary algorithms so that we are not reinventing wheels. The book is aimed at a wide range of readers. It does not require previous exposure to the field of evolutionary computation since introductory material is included. It should be of interest to anyone who is interested in adaptive optimization and learning. People in computer science, operations research, and most engineering fields should find it of interest.


