Binary Aquila Optimizer for 0–1 knapsack problems

The optimization process entails determining the best values for various system characteristics in order to finish the system design at the lowest possible cost. In general, real-world applications and issues in artificial intelligence and machine learning are discrete, unconstrained, or discrete. Optimization approaches have a high success rate in tackling such situations. As a result, several sophisticated heuristic algorithms based on swarm intelligence have been presented in recent years. Various academics in the literature have worked on such algorithms and have effectively addressed many difficulties. Aquila Optimizer (AO) is one such algorithm. Aquila Optimizer (AO) is a recently suggested heuristic algorithm. It is a novel population-based optimization strategy. It was made by mimicking the natural behavior of the Aquila. It was created by imitating the behavior of the Aquila in nature in the process of catching its prey. The AO algorithm is an algorithm developed to solve continuous optimization problems in their original form. In this study, the AO structure has been updated again to solve binary optimization problems. Problems encountered in the real world do not always have continuous values. It exists in problems with discrete values. Therefore, algorithms that solve continuous problems need to be restructured to solve discrete optimization problems as well. Binary optimization problems constitute a subgroup of discrete optimization problems. In this study, a new algorithm is proposed for binary optimization problems (BAO). The most successful BAO-T algorithm was created by testing the success of BAO in eight different transfer functions. Transfer functions play an active role in converting the continuous search space to the binary search space. BAO has also been developed by adding candidate solution step crossover and mutation methods (BAO-CM). The success of the proposed BAO-T and BAO-CM algorithms has been tested on the knapsack problem, which is widely selected in binary optimization problems in the literature. Knapsack problem examples are divided into three different benchmark groups in this study. A total of sixty-three low, medium, and large scale knapsack problems were determined as test datasets. The performances of BAO-T and BAO-CM algorithms were examined in detail and the results were clearly shown with graphics. In addition, the results of BAO-T and BAO-CM algorithms have been compared with the new heuristic algorithms proposed in the literature in recent years, and their success has been proven. According to the results, BAO-CM performed better than BAO-T and can be suggested as an alternative algorithm for solving binary optimization problems.