Abstract

Genetic Programming (GP) is a technique which permits automatic search for complex solutions using a computer. It goes beyond previous techniques in that it discovers the structure of those solutions. Previously, if one were trying to find an equation to fit a set of data, one would have had to provide the form of the equation (for example a fourth degree polynomial) and the computer could then find the appropriate parameters. By contrast, GP can experiment with a whole range of different functional forms , building equations from a menu of functions, symbols and arithmetic operations. Thus GP can be seen as an essentially creative technique. It is good at finding novel solutions where not much is known about the form of the solution..