The Multi-Armed Bandit Drawback—A Newbie-Pleasant Information | by Saankhya Mondal | Dec, 2024
Understanding the exploitation-exploration trade-off with an instance
A Multi-Armed Bandit (MAB) is a traditional drawback in decision-making, the place an agent should select between a number of choices (known as “arms”) and maximize the overall reward over a sequence of trials. The issue will get its identify from a metaphor involving a gambler at a row of slot machines (one-armed bandits), every with a unique however unknown chance of paying out. The aim is to seek out the perfect technique to tug the arms (choose actions) and maximize the gambler’s general reward over time. The MAB drawback is a flowery identify for the exploitation-exploration trade-off.
The Multi-Armed Bandit drawback is a foundational drawback that arises in quite a few industrial functions. Let’s discover it and study attention-grabbing methods for fixing it.
You’ve simply arrived in a brand new metropolis. You’re a spy and plan to remain for 120 days to finish your subsequent project. There are three eating places on the town: Italian, Chinese language, and Mexican. You wish to maximize your eating satisfaction throughout your keep. Nevertheless, you don’t know which restaurant would be the greatest for you. Right here’s how the three eating places stack up:
- Italian restaurant: Common satisfaction rating of…
