In optimization (a branch of mathematics) and search algorithms (a topic in computer science), a candidate solution is a member of a set of possible solutions to a given problem. A candidate solution does not have to be a likely or reasonable solution to the problem – it is simply in the set that satisfies all constraints.
The space of all candidate solutions is called the feasible region, feasible set, search space, or solution space.
In the case of the genetic algorithm, the candidate solutions are the individuals in the population being evolved by the algorithm.
Famous quotes containing the words candidate and/or solution:
“The Republicans have a “me too” candidate running on a “yes but” platform, advised by a “has been” staff.”
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)
“The truth of the thoughts that are here set forth seems to me unassailable and definitive. I therefore believe myself to have found, on all essential points, the final solution of the problems. And if I am not mistaken in this belief, then the second thing in which the value of this work consists is that it shows how little is achieved when these problems are solved.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)