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error message in FindClusters[] of text using HammingDistance

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg105391] error message in FindClusters[] of text using HammingDistance
• From: divisor <congruentialuminaire at yahoo.com>
• Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 04:12:40 -0500 (EST)

Hello MathGroup:

A simple example from the Help system for FindClusters[] looks like
this:

FindClusters[DictionaryLookup["aw" ~~ __]
 ,20
 ]

This finds 20 clusters in the text dictionary of words starting with
"aw" (54 words).

When I use this same command using the DistanceFunction-
>HammingDistance, I get a error message I cannot decipher:

FindClusters::xnum: A non-numeric, negative, or complex dissimilarity
value was computed; dissimilarities must be non-negative and real
valued. >>

This is curious since this simple example from the Help system also
works:

FindClusters[{"abc", "xyz", "bca", "xyw"}, DistanceFunction ->
HammingDistance]

The failing command is:

FindClusters[DictionaryLookup["aw" ~~ __]
 , DistanceFunction -> HammingDistance
 ]

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

Roger Williams
Franklin Laboratory

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: error message in FindClusters[] of text using
    • From: Patrick Scheibe <pscheibe@trm.uni-leipzig.de>