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spec: add elbow-curve specification#2335

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specification/elbow-curve
Dec 26, 2025
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spec: add elbow-curve specification#2335
MarkusNeusinger merged 1 commit intomainfrom
specification/elbow-curve

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New Specification: elbow-curve

Related to #2333


specification.md

elbow-curve: Elbow Curve for K-Means Clustering

Description

An elbow curve visualizes the relationship between the number of clusters (k) and within-cluster sum of squares (inertia/distortion) in K-means clustering. The plot helps identify the optimal number of clusters by finding the "elbow point" where adding more clusters yields diminishing returns in reducing inertia. This is a fundamental diagnostic tool for unsupervised learning parameter selection.

Applications

  • Selecting the optimal number of clusters (k) in K-means clustering analysis
  • Customer segmentation to determine natural groupings in behavioral data
  • Image compression parameter selection for color quantization
  • Document clustering to identify topic groupings in text corpora

Data

  • k_values (numeric) - Number of clusters tested (typically 1 to 10 or 15)
  • inertia (numeric) - Within-cluster sum of squares for each k value
  • Size: 8-15 different k values for clear elbow visualization
  • Example: Scikit-learn's KMeans.inertia_ attribute across multiple k values

Notes

  • X-axis shows number of clusters (k), y-axis shows inertia/distortion
  • The elbow point is where the rate of decrease sharply changes
  • Consider annotating or highlighting the optimal k value
  • Use markers at each data point to show discrete k values tested
  • A smooth connecting line helps visualize the curve shape

Next: Add approved label to the issue to merge this PR.


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@MarkusNeusinger MarkusNeusinger merged commit dfcea7c into main Dec 26, 2025
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@MarkusNeusinger MarkusNeusinger deleted the specification/elbow-curve branch December 26, 2025 19:30
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