# How does the Gower distance calculate the difference between binary variables'?

I have 17 numeric and 5 binary (0-1) variables, with 73 samples in my dataset. I need to run a cluster analysis. I know that the Gower distance is a good metric for datasets with mixed variables. However, I couldn't understand how the Gower distance calculates the difference between binary variables. It seems to me that it is not different from Euclidean distance.

• Your question isn't quite clear. Are you simply asking 'how does the Gower distance calculate the difference between binary variables'? What does "there is no difference than Euclidean" mean? Oct 21, 2014 at 15:42
• Thank you. Sorry, I ask how Gower calculate the difference between binary variables. I mean, I couldn't understand the differences btw. Euclidean and Gower for binary variable. Oct 21, 2014 at 15:58
• Have you searched this site for Gower? stats.stackexchange.com/a/15313/3277 Oct 21, 2014 at 16:48
• Yes I did. Euclidean distance is 0, if both samples have same value, 1 if not. What about Gower? Oct 21, 2014 at 16:57
• @EmrahBilgiç, Gower metric is similarity, not distance. It becomes "distance" when is subtracted from 1. Read under the link above how it processes binary data. Oct 21, 2014 at 17:31