added hill climbing algorithm

optimization/requirements.txt

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+matplotlib

searches/hill_climbing.py

@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_climbing
+import math
+
+
+class SearchProblem:
+    """
+    A interface to define search problems. The interface will be illustrated using
+        the example of mathematical function.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, x: int, y: int, step_size: int, function_to_optimize):
+        """
+        The constructor of the search problem.
+            x: the x coordinate of the current search state.
+            y: the y coordinate of the current search state.
+            step_size: size of the step to take when looking for neighbors.
+            function_to_optimize: a function to optimize having the signature f(x, y).
+        """
+        self.x = x
+        self.y = y
+        self.step_size = step_size
+        self.function = function_to_optimize
+
+    def score(self) -> int:
+        """
+        Returns the output for the function called with current x and y coordinates.
+        >>> def test_function(x, y):
+        ...     return x + y
+        >>> SearchProblem(0, 0, 1, test_function).score()  # 0 + 0 = 0
+        0
+        >>> SearchProblem(5, 7, 1, test_function).score()  # 5 + 7 = 12
+        12
+        """
+        return self.function(self.x, self.y)
+
+    def get_neighbors(self):
+        """
+        Returns a list of coordinates of neighbors adjacent to the current coordinates.
+
+        Neighbors:
+        | 0 | 1 | 2 |
+        | 3 | _ | 4 |
+        | 5 | 6 | 7 |
+        """
+        step_size = self.step_size
+        return [
+            SearchProblem(x, y, step_size, self.function)
+            for x, y in (
+                (self.x - step_size, self.y - step_size),
+                (self.x - step_size, self.y),
+                (self.x - step_size, self.y + step_size),
+                (self.x, self.y - step_size),
+                (self.x, self.y + step_size),
+                (self.x + step_size, self.y - step_size),
+                (self.x + step_size, self.y),
+                (self.x + step_size, self.y + step_size),
+            )
+        ]
+
+    def __hash__(self):
+        """
+        hash the string represetation of the current search state.
+        """
+        return hash(str(self))
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        """
+        string representation of the current search state.
+        >>> str(SearchProblem(0, 0, 1, None))
+        'x: 0 y: 0'
+        >>> str(SearchProblem(2, 5, 1, None))
+        'x: 2 y: 5'
+        """
+        return f"x: {self.x} y: {self.y}"
+
+
+def hill_climbing(
+    search_prob,
+    find_max: bool = True,
+    max_x: float = math.inf,
+    min_x: float = -math.inf,
+    max_y: float = math.inf,
+    min_y: float = -math.inf,
+    visualization: bool = False,
+    max_iter: int = 10000,
+) -> SearchProblem:
+    """
+    implementation of the hill climbling algorithm. We start with a given state, find
+        all its neighbors, move towards the neighbor which provides the maximum (or
+        minimum) change. We keep doing this untill we are at a state where we do not
+        have any neighbors which can improve the solution.
+        Args:
+            search_prob: The search state at the start.
+            find_max: If True, the algorithm should find the minimum else the minimum.
+            max_x, min_x, max_y, min_y: the maximum and minimum bounds of x and y.
+            visualization: If True, a matplotlib graph is displayed.
+            max_iter: number of times to run the iteration.
+        Returns a search state having the maximum (or minimum) score.
+    """
+    current_state = search_prob
+    scores = []  # list to store the current score at each iteration
+    iterations = 0
+    solution_found = False
+    visited = set()
+    while not solution_found and iterations < max_iter:
+        visited.add(current_state)
+        iterations += 1
+        current_score = current_state.score()
+        scores.append(current_score)
+        neighbors = current_state.get_neighbors()
+        max_change = -math.inf
+        min_change = math.inf
+        next_state = None  # to hold the next best neighbor
+        for neighbor in neighbors:
+            if neighbor in visited:
+                continue  # do not want to visit the same state again
+            if (
+                neighbor.x > max_x
+                or neighbor.x < min_x
+                or neighbor.y > max_y
+                or neighbor.y < min_y
+            ):
+                continue  # neighbor outside our bounds
+            change = neighbor.score() - current_score
+            if find_max:  # finding max
+                # going to direction with greatest ascent
+                if change > max_change and change > 0:
+                    max_change = change
+                    next_state = neighbor
+            else:  # finding min
+                # to direction with greatest descent
+                if change < min_change and change < 0:
+                    min_change = change
+                    next_state = neighbor
+        if next_state is not None:
+            # we found at least one neighbor which improved the current state
+            current_state = next_state
+        else:
+            # since we have no neighbor that improves the solution we stop the search
+            solution_found = True
+
+    if visualization:
+        import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
+
+        plt.plot(range(iterations), scores)
+        plt.xlabel("Iterations")
+        plt.ylabel("Function values")
+        plt.show()
+
+    return current_state
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import doctest
+
+    doctest.testmod()
+
+    def test_f1(x, y):
+        return (x ** 2) + (y ** 2)
+
+    # starting the problem with initial coordinates (3, 4)
+    prob = SearchProblem(x=3, y=4, step_size=1, function_to_optimize=test_f1)
+    local_min = hill_climbing(prob, find_max=False)
+    print(
+        "The minimum score for f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 found via hill climbing: "
+        f"{local_min.score()}"
+    )
+
+    # starting the problem with initial coordinates (12, 47)
+    prob = SearchProblem(x=12, y=47, step_size=1, function_to_optimize=test_f1)
+    local_min = hill_climbing(
+        prob, find_max=False, max_x=100, min_x=5, max_y=50, min_y=-5, visualization=True
+    )
+    print(
+        "The minimum score for f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 with the domain 100 > x > 5 "
+        f"and 50 > y > - 5 found via hill climbing: {local_min.score()}"
+    )
+
+    def test_f2(x, y):
+        return (3 * x ** 2) - (6 * y)
+
+    prob = SearchProblem(x=3, y=4, step_size=1, function_to_optimize=test_f1)
+    local_min = hill_climbing(prob, find_max=True)
+    print(
+        "The maximum score for f(x, y) = x^2 + y^2 found via hill climbing: "
+        f"{local_min.score()}"
+    )