Description: The limitations of K-means clustering refer to the constraints and disadvantages of using the K-means algorithm for clustering. This method, which aims to divide a dataset into K groups based on minimizing the variance within each group, presents several challenges. Firstly, the choice of the number of groups K is crucial and can be arbitrary, potentially leading to suboptimal results. Additionally, K-means assumes that groups are spherical and of equal size, which is not always the case in real-world data, where groups may have varied shapes and sizes. Another significant limitation is its sensitivity to outliers, which can distort centroids and thus affect the quality of clustering. Furthermore, the algorithm may converge to local optima, meaning that different initializations can lead to different results. Lastly, K-means requires numerical data and cannot directly handle categorical variables, limiting its applicability in certain contexts. These limitations mean that while K-means is a popular and easy-to-implement method, it is not always the best choice for all datasets and clustering problems.
