Binary merge model representation of the graph colouring problem

This paper describes a novel representation and ordering model that, aided by an evolutionary algorithm, is used in solving the graph k-colouring problem. Its strength lies in reducing the number of neighbors that need to be checked for validity. An empirical comparison is made with two other algorithms on a popular selection of problem instances and on a suite of instances in the phase transition. The new representation in combination with a heuristic mutation operator shows promising results