paper-0040 · paper · 1997
David H. Wolpert, William G. Macready
No algorithm wins on all problems; a standing caution against universal claims.
Abstract
A framework is developed to explore the connection between effective optimization algorithms and the problems they are solving. A number of "no free lunch" (NFL) theorems are presented which establish that for any algorithm, any elevated performance over one class of problems is offset by performance over another class. These theorems result in a geometric interpretation of what it means for an algorithm to be well suited to an optimization problem. Applications of the NFL theorems to information-theoretic aspects of optimization and benchmark measures of performance are also presented. Other issues addressed include time-varying optimization problems and a priori "head-to-head" minimax distinctions between optimization algorithms, distinctions that result despite the NFL theorems' enforcing of a type of uniformity over all algorithms. [OpenAlex]
Academic, score -0.1436
| Metric | Status | Value | Norm. | Weight | Contribution | Source | Confidence | License | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| citation_count | present | 13940.0 | 0.062745 | 0.5 | 0.031373 | OpenAlex | high | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| library_holdings | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.1 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
| readership_persistence | present | 15.0 | 1.0 | 0.05 | 0.05 | OpenAlex | medium | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| syllabus_adoptions | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.125 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
Broad Influence, score 0.2125
| Metric | Status | Value | Norm. | Weight | Contribution | Source | Confidence | License | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| citation_count | present | 13940.0 | 0.062745 | 0.2 | 0.012549 | OpenAlex | high | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| library_holdings | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.125 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
| readership_persistence | present | 15.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | OpenAlex | medium | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| syllabus_adoptions | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.075 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
Governance Practitioner, score -0.2093
| Metric | Status | Value | Norm. | Weight | Contribution | Source | Confidence | License | Provenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| citation_count | present | 13940.0 | 0.062745 | 0.25 | 0.015686 | OpenAlex | high | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| library_holdings | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.15 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
| readership_persistence | present | 15.0 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | OpenAlex | medium | OpenAlex, CC0 metadata | link |
| syllabus_adoptions | missing | recorded as missing, penalized by rule, never imputed | −0.175 | recorded as missing; penalized by rule, never imputed | |||||
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