In hierarchical clustering, what does the term 'linkage' refer to?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
In hierarchical clustering, what does the term 'linkage' refer to?
The method of assigning clusters to data points
The distance metric used to measure similarity
The strategy for merging clusters
The number of clusters to form
Linkage in hierarchical clustering refers to the strategy used to determine the distance between clusters, which affects how clusters are merged.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: In hierarchical clustering, what does the term 'linkage' refer to?
Solution: Linkage in hierarchical clustering refers to the strategy used to determine the distance between clusters, which affects how clusters are merged.
Steps: 4
Step 1: Understand that hierarchical clustering is a method of grouping data points into clusters based on their similarities.
Step 2: Know that 'linkage' is a term used in this method to describe how we measure the distance between clusters.
Step 3: Realize that different linkage methods can change how clusters are combined, affecting the final result.
Step 4: Learn that common linkage methods include single linkage, complete linkage, and average linkage, each using different ways to calculate distances.
