An adaptive search algorithm for numerical optimization

摘要

The flexible polyhedron (simplex) search algorithm is reviewed and some of its shortcomings highlighted. Particularly, the fixed search parameters are shown to be a sure liability and an improvement is proposed. A unidirectional optimal search algorithm is substituted for the set of fixed rules usually employed to modify the simplex. This modification proves especially effective in dealing with “narrow valley” situations, normally encountered whenever the decision variables exhibit some degree of correlation. The new adaptive algorithm compares well with the parent simplex method, featuring less function evaluations and better convergence properties in cases where the classical search techniques perform poorly or fail altogether.