A data scientist runs PROC CLUSTER with METHOD=AVERAGE (unweighted average linkage) and then uses PROC TREE to create cluster assignments. What does average linkage use to compute the distance between two clusters?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation and Infographic
Here's the deal — b is correct because average linkage (UPGMA — Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) defines the distance between two clusters as the average of all pairwise distances between members of the two clusters. A describes single linkage (nearest neighbor).
Full explanation below image
Full Explanation
B is correct because average linkage (UPGMA — Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) defines the distance between two clusters as the average of all pairwise distances between members of the two clusters. A describes single linkage (nearest neighbor). C describes centroid linkage. D describes complete linkage (farthest neighbor).