Supervised_vs_Unsupervised_Learning
Supervised_vs_Unsupervised_Learning
1. Supervised Learning
Supervised learning is a machine learning approach where the model is trained on a labeled
dataset. Each data point consists of an input (features) and a corresponding output (label).
The model learns to map inputs to outputs based on the given examples and generalizes this
mapping to make predictions on new data.
How It Works:
1. Input Data: The dataset includes inputs (features) and known outputs (labels). For
example:
- Features: Age, salary, years of experience.
- Labels: Job category (e.g., Engineer, Teacher).
2. Model Training: The algorithm identifies patterns and relationships between inputs and
outputs during training.
3. Prediction: The trained model predicts the output for new inputs.
4. Evaluation: The model’s accuracy is assessed using metrics like accuracy, precision, recall,
or mean squared error.
Examples:
1. Spam Detection:
- Input: Email content (e.g., words, links, attachments).
- Output: Label ("spam" or "not spam").
- Algorithm: Naive Bayes classifier.
2. House Price Prediction:
- Input: Features like square footage, number of bedrooms, and neighborhood.
- Output: Predicted price (continuous value).
- Algorithm: Linear regression.
2. Unsupervised Learning
Unsupervised learning involves training a model on unlabeled data. The algorithm identifies
hidden patterns, clusters, or structures in the data without pre-defined labels.
How It Works:
1. Input Data: The dataset contains only features, without corresponding labels.
2. Pattern Recognition: The algorithm explores the data and identifies natural groupings or
dimensions.
3. Insights: Results are used for clustering, anomaly detection, or dimensionality reduction.
Types of Unsupervised Learning:
1. Clustering: Grouping similar data points.
- Example: Customer segmentation.
- Algorithm: K-means clustering, hierarchical clustering.
2. Dimensionality Reduction: Simplifying data by reducing the number of features.
- Example: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to visualize high-dimensional data.
- Algorithm: PCA, t-SNE.
Examples:
1. Customer Segmentation:
- Data: Customer purchase history (e.g., amount spent, frequency of visits).
- Output: Groups of similar customers, such as "frequent buyers" and "occasional buyers."
- Algorithm: K-means clustering.
2. Anomaly Detection:
- Data: Sensor readings in a manufacturing process.
- Output: Identify unusual patterns indicating potential equipment failure.
- Algorithm: Isolation forest.
When to Use?
Supervised Learning:
- When labeled data is available.
- Applications requiring specific predictions (e.g., fraud detection, stock price prediction).
Unsupervised Learning:
- When labels are unavailable or expensive to obtain.
- To explore and understand data patterns (e.g., clustering products by popularity).