Learner Guide

Route Optimizer learner guide

Use this guide to frame the tool with a clear question, expected observations, and model-limits discussion rather than treating it as a standalone demo.

Open application Teacher guide Standards and alignment

Getting Started

What to do first

Generate a route set and run the default search once.
Watch how the best distance changes over generations.
Use the route animation to compare early routes with later better ones.

Learner tasks

Change population or selection settings and note the effect on best distance.
Try manual city definition and compare whether route geometry changes what the search seems to do well.
Explain why a good search strategy matters in a large solution space.

Core Question

How do iterative search and improvement strategies help find better routes without checking every possibility?

Scientific Virtues

Habits to practice

State clearly what the model demonstrates and what it does not claim about real systems.
Use repeated runs and comparisons as evidence instead of relying on a single striking outcome.
Treat model limitations as part of the explanation, not as an afterthought.

Continue the thread

Use the Scientific Virtues page to connect model use with evidence, skepticism, and revision.