Timetabling Using the Annealing Algorithm

The most obvious mapping of TTP into the SA algorithm involves the following constructs:
  1. a <#420#>state<#420#> is a timetable containing the following sets:
  2. a <#423#>cost<#423#> or ``energy'' E(P, C, S, R, I) such that:
  3. A <#426#>swap<#426#> (or a move) is the exchange of one or more of the following: class #tex2html_wrap_inline1756# with class #tex2html_wrap_inline1758# in the set C with respect to time periods #tex2html_wrap_inline1762# and #tex2html_wrap_inline1764#, and/or with respect to classroom #tex2html_wrap_inline1766# and #tex2html_wrap_inline1768#, respectively. Generally, this step is referred to as class swapping.
Along with all of the necessary constraints, the simulated annealing algorithm also takes as input data the following: the preprocessor output in the form of lists of scheduled and non-scheduled classes and their associated professors and room types, a list of rooms provided by the registrar's office, a department to building distance matrix, a list of students and their class preferences, and a list of classes that are not allowed to be scheduled simultaneously.