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:
“If we should swap a good library for a second-rate stump speech and not ask for boot, it would be thoroughly in tune with our hearts. For deep within each of us lies politics. It is our football, baseball, and tennis rolled into one. We enjoy it; we will hitch up and drive for miles in order to hear and applaud the vitriolic phrases of a candidate we have already reckoned we’ll vote against.”
—Federal Writers’ Project Of The Wor, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)