Elementary Cluster Analysis

The availability of packaged clustering programs means that anyone with data can easily do cluster analysis on it. But many users of this technology don't fully appreciate its many hidden dangers. In today's world of 'grab and go algorithms,' part of my motivation for writing this book is to provide users with a set of cautionary tales about cluster analysis, for it is very much an art as well as a science, and it is easy to stumble if you don't understand its pitfalls. Indeed, it is easy to trip over them even if you do! The parenthetical word usually in the title is very important, because all clustering algorithms can and do fail from time to time. Modern cluster analysis has become so technically intricate that it is often hard for the beginner or the non-specialist to appreciate and understand its many hidden dangers. Here's how Yogi Berra put it, and he was right: In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is ~Yogi Berra This book is a step