Effect of Changing the Basis in Genetic Algorithms Using Binary Encoding

We examine the performance of genetic algorithms using binary encoding, with respect to a change of basis. Changing the basis can result in a change in the linkage structure inherent in the fitness function. We test three simple functions with differing linkage strengths and analyze the results. Based on an empirical analysis, we show that a better basis results in a smoother fitness landscape, hence genetic algorithms based on the new encoding method provide better performance.