Cosine Correlation


The Cosine correlation between two points, a and b, with k dimensions is calculated as:

where

The cosine correlation ranges from +1 to -1 where +1 is the highest correlation. Complete opposite points have correlation -1.

Comparison between Cosine correlation and Correlation

The difference between Cosine correlation and Correlation is that the average value is subtracted in Correlation. In the example below, the Cosine correlation will be +1 between any combination of points a, b, and c, but it will be slightly less than that between point d and any of the other points (+0.974). However, the regular Correlation will be +1 between any of the points, including point d.

See also:

Distance Measures Overview