The use of animation to explain genetic algorithms

Algorithm animation has been applied to a huge variety of algorithms, and has been found to be of enormous benefit in assisting with their comprehension. However, the radical nature of several classes of algorithm has caused them to be largely overlooked in this regard; noticeable among these are genetic algorithms. In addressing this, we have used the XTANGO software system to develop a set of animation sequences designed to illustrate the behaviour of a genetic algorithm applied to a real-world problem. The resulting package is general enough to be adapted easily to a range of problems.