text: user16228: I am learning about genetic algorithms.
  Why chromosomes are represented using 8 bit binary.
  This arose when I apply crossover techniques to the bits.
  Please help me to find the answer.Thanks in advance !
  
  user475: Not always. The representation of chromosomes in genetic algorithms is often dependent on the specific problem to be solved and number of variables to be found through the optimization process.
  Not only you can chose a 16-bit representation, but integer-based representations are also used as mentioned here.
  At the computation level, using a binary representation usually facilitates cross over operations on the bit arrays. 8 bits are compact while already give you a range of 0-255 different values for a given variable, thus provides a first option to go unless you need a larger value space.
  
original_text: 16228: <p>I am learning about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_algorithm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">genetic algorithms</a>.</p>
  <p>Why chromosomes are represented using 8 bit binary.</p>
  <p>This arose when I apply crossover techniques to the bits.</p>
  <p>Please help me to find the answer.Thanks in advance !</p>
   475: <p>Not always. The representation of chromosomes in genetic algorithms is often dependent on the specific problem to be solved and number of variables to be found through the optimization process.</p>
  <p>Not only you can chose a 16-bit representation, but integer-based representations are also used as mentioned <a href="https://hub.packtpub.com/using-genetic-algorithms-for-optimizing-your-models-tutorial/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
  <p>At the computation level, using a binary representation usually facilitates cross over operations on the bit arrays. 8 bits are compact while already give you a range of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome_(genetic_algorithm)#Chromosome_design" rel="nofollow noreferrer">0-255</a> different values for a given variable, thus provides a first option to go unless you need a larger value space.</p>
  