Iterative Computer Algorithms with Applications in Engineeringdescribes in-depth the five main iterative algorithms for solvinghard combinatorial optimization problems: Simulated Annealing,Genetic Algorithms, Tabu Search, Simulated Evolution, andStochastic Evolution. The authors present various iterativetechniques and illustrate how they can be applied to solve severalNP-hard problems. For each algorithm, the authors present the procedures of thealgorithm, parameter selection criteria, convergence propertyanalysis, and parallelization. There are also several real-worldexamples that illustrate various aspects of the algorithms. Thebook includes an introduction to fuzzy logic and its application inthe formulation of multi-objective optimization problems, adiscussion on hybrid techniques that combine features ofheuristics, a survey of recent research work, and examples thatillustrate required mathematical concepts. The unique features of this book are: An integrated and up-to-datedescription of iterative non-deterministic algorithms; Detaileddescriptions of Simulated Evolution and Stochastic Evolution; Alevel of treatment suitable for first year graduate student andpracticing engineers; Parallelization aspects and particularparallel implementations; A brief survey of recent research work;Graded exercises and an annotated bibliography in each chapter