Simulated annealing

Simulated annealing is like a game. We pretend we have a set of shapes (like circles, squares, etc) and we want to group them together in different ways to make the most interesting picture possible. To do this, we start with a completely random arrangement and then make small changes, hoping that these changes will make the picture better. The “simulated annealing” part is when we pretend that the shapes are a metal like iron, and we use pretend heat to melt them a little bit each time we make a change. This pretend heat helps the shapes “relax” into a more interesting arrangement. Sometimes our picture gets worse when we move things around, but eventually the pretend heat should help it “relax” into something more interesting.