Getting to Know R: The Essentials

With RStudio as your interface, you're now ready to dive into the world of R programming. The following are some essential aspects you need to grasp:

Data Types: R offers several fundamental data types, including numeric, character, logical, and factors (Grolemund & Wickham, 2016). Understanding these data types is crucial for effective data manipulation.

Variables: In R, variables are used to store data. You can think of a variable as a container that holds a specific value, such as a number, a character, or a logical (true or false) value. Variables are used extensively in R for data analysis.

Basic Operations: R allows you to perform a wide range of operations on your data. This includes arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), logical operations (comparisons), and more. Mastering these operations is essential for data manipulation.

Vectors: In R, a vector is a basic data structure that holds elements of the same data type. You can create vectors with functions like c() (combine) or by using a colon : to generate a sequence of numbers. Vectors are fundamental for data analysis and manipulation.