Heuristic and Metaheuristic Algorithms

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Heuristic algorithms – What are they?

Wikipedia says:

In computer science, a heuristic is a technique designed to solve a problem that ignores whether the solution can be proven to be correct, but which usually produces a good solution or solves a simpler problem that contains or intersects with the solution of the more complex problem.

Heuristics are intended to gain computational performance or conceptual simplicity, potentially at the cost of accuracy or precision.

That was easy!

For 5 pieces there are 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 different orderings for the placement

= 120 combinations

Piece of cake for a computer to try each combination in (nearly) no time at all

Heuristic algorithms

Cast your mind all the way back to the second slide.

Maybe a heuristic algorithm would be good for tackling this type of problem? (commonly known as a combinatorial optimi[s,z]ation problem)

I hope so! (my PhD depends on it…)