Clustering

As explained in Grokking Machine Learning

An algorithm that partitions data points into groups based on similarity.

Clustering groups data points that are similar, even when their labels are unknown. It can reveal patterns or make data easier to handle. section 2.3 section 2.5

Similarity depends on the data and features being considered:

• Group houses by location, price, size, or a combination of these features. section 2.3
• Group emails by size and number of recipients; a plotted example shows three clusters. section 2.3
• Group unlabeled images by similarity, potentially separating cats from dogs or grouping breeds. section 2.3

Figure 2.5  A plot of the email dataset. The horizontal axis corresponds to the size of the email and the vertical axis to the number of recipients. We can see three well-defined clusters in this dataset.

See how email size and recipient count form three visible clusters. section 2.3

How Grokking Machine Learning covers it

How deep it goes

Defines clustering and illustrates feature-based groupings, without detailing a clustering algorithm or evaluation method.

Examples

Illustrates grouping houses by features, emails by size and recipients, and images by animal similarity.

What it assumes

Distinguishes labeled from unlabeled data and introduces clustering through housing and email datasets.

What you can do after

Apply clustering to group unlabeled houses, emails, or images by selected similarities.

How it connects

Connects clustering to unsupervised learning, dimensionality reduction, and preprocessing before supervised learning.

liveBookmanning.com

Read Grokking Machine Learning on liveBook Get the book at manning.com

Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Data Without LabelsClustering is an unsupervised technique that groups data points so that members of the same group are more similar to one another than to members of other groups.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  The Well-Grounded Data AnalystClustering is the process of grouping observations so that members of the same group are more similar to one another than to members of other groups.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Outlier Detection in PythonAn unsupervised learning technique that divides items into groups whose members are more similar to one another than to members of other groups.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Advanced Algorithms and Data StructuresA clustering algorithm groups unlabeled data points into subsets according to relationships or similarities among them.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  The Art of AI Product DevelopmentClustering is an unsupervised learning technique that groups data points according to similarities in their characteristics.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Statistics Slam DunkCustomer segmentation is the division of customers into groups based on shared purchasing, demographic, or other attributes.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  The AI Pocket BookAn unsupervised learning method that groups similar data points into clusters.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  First-Party Data ActivationThe practice of dividing a customer or user population into groups with shared characteristics or behaviors for differentiated marketing.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Optimization Algorithms: AI techniques for design, planning, and control problemsThe task of partitioning objects into groups whose members are more similar to one another than to members of other groups.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Classic Computer Science Problems in Swift: Essential techniques for practicing programmersClustering is a computational technique that divides data points into groups whose members are related according to some measure or interpretation.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  AI-Powered SearchClustering is an unsupervised learning technique that groups items according to similarity.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  How Large Language Models WorkA technique that groups data items according to similarities among their features or representations.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Data Analysis with LLMsText clustering is the unsupervised grouping of text documents according to the similarity of their represented features.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Inside AIClustering is the computational task of grouping data items according to similarities without requiring predefined categories.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Data-Driven CybersecurityClustering is a data-analysis technique that groups observations according to similarity without requiring predefined labels.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second EditionA cluster is a group of machines managed together as a single computing system.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Financial AI in PracticeClustering is the grouping of observations according to similarities in their measured attributes.

Compare how 18 books explain clustering →

Related concepts

• K-means clusteringproduced by · K-means clustering partitions data into a specified number of groups by assigning observations to representative centers and iteratively updating those centers to reduce within-group distances.
• k-means++ initializationincludes · K-means++ initialization is a procedure that selects initial centroids using probability proportional to squared distance from previously selected centroids.
• unsupervised learningkind of · Unsupervised learning is a machine-learning approach that discovers patterns, structure, or representations in data without labeled target outputs.
• DBSCANincludes · DBSCAN is a density-based clustering algorithm that groups observations in dense regions and identifies observations in lower-density regions as noise or outliers.
• hierarchical clusteringincludes · Hierarchical clustering is a clustering method that organizes observations into nested groups by successively merging or splitting clusters.
• embeddingused by · A numerical vector representation of an item or input that encodes features or relationships useful for computational tasks.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Grokking Machine Learning. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.