School of Computer Science

Module 19341 (2011)

Module description - Introduction to Natural Computation

The Module Description is a strict subset of the Syllabus Page.

Module Title Introduction to Natural Computation
School School of Computer Science
Module Code 06-19341
Level 2/I
Member of Staff Xin Yao
Semester Semester 1 - 10 credits
Delivery

2 hours of lectures per week
Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to:

  • explain and illustrate the key concepts of: de-centralisation, interaction, self-organisation, emergence
  • describe the common principles underlying a range of natural computation techniques
  • compare and contrast natural systems with their computational counterparts
  • show how natural computation techniques can be adapted to solving learning and optimisation problems
  • analyse the behaviour of natural computation systems
Assessment
  • Sessional: 1.5 hour examination (70%), continuous assessment (30%).
  • Supplementary: 1.5 hour examination (100%).
Texts
TitleAuthorPublisher
An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms Melanie Mitchell MIT Press
An Introduction to Neural Networks Kevin Gurney CRC Press
Artificial Life: an overview Christopher Langton MIT Press
On Growth, Form and Computers S. Kumar & P. Bentley Elsevier
Self-Organization in Biological Systems S. Camazine, J. Deneubourg, N. Franks, J. Sneyd, G. Theraulaz & E. Bonabeau Princeton University Press
Swarm Intelligence James Kennedy & Russell Eberhart Morgan Kaufmann