Search through the character space to find your name

hillclimbing.py

import math
import random

#Randomly modifies part of a possible solution
def modify_solution(solution,characters):
	solution_idx = random.randint(0,len(solution)-1)
	character_idx = random.randint(0,len(characters)-1)
	output = copy_solution(solution)
	output[solution_idx] = characters[character_idx]
	return output
	
#Measures how good of a solution our possible solution is
def goodness(ans,solution):
	num_correct_characters = 0
	for i in range(len(ans)):
		if ans[i] == solution[i]:
			num_correct_characters += 1
	return num_correct_characters
	
#copy one list to another
def copy_solution(_from):
	_to = []
	for i in range(len(_from)):
		_to.append(_from[i])
	return _to

#Generate the initial possible solution
def generate_random_solution(num_characters,characters):
	output = []
	for i in range(num_characters):
		random_index = random.randint(0,len(characters)-1)
		output.append(characters[random_index]) 
	return output

name = "chester grant"
characters = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz "
num_characters = 13

current_solution = generate_random_solution(num_characters,characters);
previous_solution = copy_solution(current_solution)

while not "".join(current_solution) == name :
	if goodness(list(name),current_solution) >= goodness(list(name),previous_solution):
		print "".join(current_solution)
		previous_solution = copy_solution(current_solution)
		current_solution = modify_solution(current_solution,characters)		
	else:
		current_solution = modify_solution(previous_solution,characters)
print "".join(current_solution)