Design of modern heuristics : principles and application /

Modern heuristics are optimization techniques that can be applied to a wide variety of difficult computational problems. Design of Modern Heuristics, part of the "Natural Computing" series, is a new addition to a recent surge of books in the established field. While most books concentrate either on one specific technique, such as genetic algorithms or a range of heuristics and their merits, this work attempts to dissect the principles of modern heuristics and explain how to apply several popular techniques. A reader with adequate preparation in calculus and complexity theory will benefit from intuitive, well-exposed principles of metaheuristic design and will be able to follow and successfully implement, if desired, several of the described algorithms. Rothlauf (Johannes Gutenberg Univ. Mainz, Germany), though, is quite verbose in explaining somewhat obvious concepts, such as processes to solve problems, but rushes through other more important subjects, citing far more extensively than explaining. Additionally, most case studies in part 3 resemble unreviewed experimental sections of publications; more conventional examples would greatly benefit the abstract first two parts of the book. Despite its shortcomings, this course resource is a valuable addition to existing literature, contributing to the understanding of the principles of metaheuristic design. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. D. Papamichail University of Miami