AI RESEARCH
The Shape of Attraction in UMAP: Exploring the Embedding Forces in Dimensionality Reduction
arXiv CS.LG
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ArXi:2503.09101v4 Announce Type: replace Uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) is among the most popular neighbor embedding methods. The method samples pairs of point indices according to similarities in the high-dimensional space, and applies attractive and repulsive forces to their coordinates in the low-dimensional embedding. In this paper, we analyze the forces to reveal their effects on cluster formations and visualization, and compare UMAP to its contemporaries. Repulsion emphasizes differences, controlling cluster boundaries and inter-cluster distance.