Meaning of K-Means Clustering

Simple definition

K-means clustering is an unsupervised machine learning algorithm that groups data points into a specified number of clusters based on their similarities.

How to use K-Means Clustering in a professional context

K-means is used in marketing to segment customers, in biology to classify species, and in finance to identify patterns in transaction data.

Concrete example of K-Means Clustering

An e-commerce company uses K-means to group customers based on purchase behavior, creating targeted marketing strategies for each cluster.

How does K-means clustering work?

It assigns data points to clusters by minimizing the distance between points and their cluster's centroid.

How is the number of clusters determined?

Techniques like the elbow method or silhouette score are used to choose the optimal number.

Can K-means handle non-numeric data?

Not directly; non-numeric data must be encoded or converted into numeric formats first.
Related Blog articles
International Women’s Day 2026: why diversity is a necessity, not an option

International Women’s Day 2026: why diversity is a necessity, not an option

This International Women's Day, we're examining why diversity in tech and AI isn't optional—it's essential....

Sylvain: From €50,000 quote to building it himself

Sylvain: From €50,000 quote to building it himself

Sylvain had an idea for a hospitality startup. Developers wanted €50,000 to build it. He...

Beyond the statistics: Meet the women changing tech’s numbers

Beyond the statistics: Meet the women changing tech’s numbers

Women make up 42% of the global workforce but only 24% of Canada's tech sector....

Suscribe to our newsletter

Receive a monthly newsletter with personalized tech tips.