I've used this workaround in genetic algorithms, as has John Koza, the pioneer of the field. The idea behind this is you're never going to get the computer to

I've used this workaround in genetic algorithms, as has John Koza, the pioneer of the field. The idea behind this is you're never going to get the computer to program itself with exceptions, so better not to let it produce code it will not be able to execute fully without human intervention.