Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Marriage is a Multi-objective Problem

Bit of Theory
A multi-objective problem (MOP) is a problem which can be de-composed into multiple objectives that have to be satisfied to solve it. Often all the objectives cannot be met with the same degree of success since they may oppose each other. Therefore there exists a 'trade-off' between these objectives.

A classic trade-off situation is when you are packing for a trip. Assuming you don't want to pay through your nose for extra allowance (and you don't have an army of pack mules to carry your luggage) you will have finite space in which to put everything.
So the trade-off comes with respect to what you put into that finite space. Do you put in more night-clothes or more casual wear? Since the space is finite if you put
in more night-clothes you will have less space for casuals.

There is usually no single solution to a MOP. Instead the problem solver usually takes a look at a set of solutions (i.e. possible trade-offs) and based on their expert knowledge, desires and preferences a single solution is picked out from the set of solutions.

Looking at MARRIAGE from a multi-objective point of view we can figure out what kind of boys/girls would be preferred. I simplified the problem by taking just three main factors which are most commonly looked at while finding a mate (in India atleast).
These factors are:
- Money (income of the boy/girl or family wealth)
- Family (the background of the family)
- Looks (of the boy/girl)

The trade-off between each of these factors is highly dynamic (for example good looks might not always come from a good family and so on). Therefore we cannot do a clear analysis of the situation. But we can show the various options available and how each type of solution can be put into a class (of boys/girls).

Green dots
represent the best solutions within the normal class of boys and girls.
Fairly NORMAL demand for this type.

Grey dots
represent the non-mainstream class.
Demand for this type cannot be defined.

Red dots are LOSERS!
LOW demand for this type.

Blue dots are GODS/GODESSES (the Ideal class)
EVERYONE wants to marry one of these!



Note: Charts shown above were made by me and not copied from anywhere.


So WHICH CLASS do you belong to? :D

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You did a bunch of research and got 0 comments... well heres the 1st one.

Good job. I think you're on to something big.