Page 1 of 2
Genetic Algorithms - Mutation
Introduction to Mutation
In simple terms, mutation may be defined as a small random tweak in the chromosome, to get a new
solution. It is used to maintain and introduce diversity in the genetic population and is usually applied
with a low probability – pm. If the probability is very high, the GA gets reduced to a random search.
Mutation is the part of the GA which is related to the “exploration” of the search space. It has been
observed that mutation is essential to the convergence of the GA while crossover is not.
Mutation Operators
In this section, we describe some of the most commonly used mutation operators. Like the crossover
operators, this is not an exhaustive list and the GA designer might find a combination of these
approaches or a problem-specific mutation operator more useful.
Bit Flip Mutation
In this bit flip mutation, we select one or more random bits and flip them. This is used for binary
encoded GAs.
Random Resetting
Random Resetting is an extension of the bit flip for the integer representation. In this, a random value
from the set of permissible values is assigned to a randomly chosen gene.
Swap Mutation
In swap mutation, we select two positions on the chromosome at random, and interchange the values.
This is common in permutation based encodings.
Scramble Mutation
Scramble mutation is also popular with permutation representations. In this, from the entire
chromosome, a subset of genes is chosen and their values are scrambled or shuffled randomly.
Page 2 of 2
Inversion Mutation
In inversion mutation, we select a subset of genes like in scramble mutation, but instead of shuffling
the subset, we merely invert the entire string in the subset.
