Ward’s minimum variance method

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-012637",
  "term": "Ward’s minimum variance method",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A hierarchical clustering algorithm that at each step merges the pair of clusters whose fusion results in the minimum increase in the total within-cluster sum of squares. This method aims to minimize the variance within each cluster, producing compact and spherical clusters. It is widely used in chemometrics for grouping similar data points.",
  "synonyms": [
    "Ward’s method"
  ],
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "Euclidean distance",
    "hierarchical clustering"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2016, 88, 407. 'Vocabulary of concepts and terms in chemometrics (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 433 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0605)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/wards-minimum-variance-method/"
}