Like crossover, mutation is a genetic operator. It randomly flips the bits of a an offspring's genotype. For example, one mutation of the CA
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can give rise to the CA
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| The first produces this from a random initial distribution. |  |
| The second produces this from a random initial distribution. |  |
Why include mutation in the genetic algorithm?
Mutation prevents the population from homogenizing in a particular gene. If every proposed solution has a "yes" answer to the first classifier system question, then crossover will never change this answer.
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