R Programming Language - Tutorial For Beginners

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R is a computer language made for doing math and making pictures with numbers. Two people, Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman, created it at the University of Auckland in New Zealand in the early 1990s. Moreover, users like statisticians, data analysts, and data scientists use R programming language to play with data, make models, draw graphs, and do other cool stuff. 

The following blog will discuss the detailed information about this programming language in detail. We will elaborate on installation and setup, basic syntax and data types, data Structures in R, and many more. 

Understanding R Programming Language

R can do many different kinds of math and drawing. Moreover, you can also say that it's like a toolbox for statisticians and researchers. In addition, you can use it for things like making graphs, doing tests, studying time patterns, and more. R is also flexible, meaning you can add new items to it.

Plus, R is good at making nice graphs that you want to put in a book or a paper. Even if you need special symbols or math stuff in your graphs, R language can handle it. The people who made R noticed how the graphs look by default, but you can change anything you want accordingly. 

What are the R Programming Applications?

It's a fundamental tool for finance, automation, and various management industries for managing money and necessary stuff. The following section will discuss different applications of the R Programming language. 

• We use R for Data Science, which means playing with numbers to find impressive things. R has lots of tools for math stuff. 
• R is super popular, and various companies like Google, Facebook, and others use it.
• R is widely used for data analysis and visualization.
• It provides a rich set of tools for statistical modeling and hypothesis testing.
• Economists and researchers use R for econometric modeling and analysis.
• R is widely used in the finance industry for risk management, portfolio analysis, and financial modeling.
• It is widely used in academic settings for teaching statistics, data analysis, and programming due to its open-source nature.

Now, we will discuss how you can set up or download the r coding language. 

How to Install R?

Visit this website: https://cloud.r-project.org/. From there, you can get the newest R for your computer, whether it's Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Once you have R on your computer, you can open it either by using the Command prompt or any program where you like to write code, like a writing and testing place called an IDE. 

R Syntax And Data Types

First, we will discuss R Syntax. After that, we will have a detailed elaboration on data types.

R Syntax

To make R syntax, you can use single or double quotes. For words, it looks like this:

'Hello World!'

To make R show numbers, just write them without any quotes: 

5

10

25

If you want R to do some math, you can tell it to add numbers together:

5 + 5

Congratulations! You just made your first R code. 

Data Types

In programming, we talk about 'data types,' which means the kind of stuff our computer can understand and work with.

In R, the best thing is that we don't have to tell the computer what type of stuff we're using - it figures it out on its own. Plus, we can change our minds later. 

R has different types of stuff it understands, like:

• Numbers with decimals (like 10.5)
• Whole numbers (like 55)
• Imaginary numbers (like 9 + 3i, where 'i' is imaginary)
• Words or sentences (like "R is exciting")
• True or False (yes or no)

Therefore, it helps us understand what kind of stuff we're working with. 

Pros And Cons of R Programming Language

First, we will learn about the advantages of using this language. However, it will assist in learning R programming for beginners. 

Advantages:

• R is the comprehensive language for numbers and data. It's the best for looking at lots of information and finding patterns. Moreover, people love it because it's always the first to try out new ideas and advanced tech stuff.
• Plus, R is open source. In short, you can use it on any computer, whenever you want. It's like magic that works on both fancy computers and regular ones.
• R is highly compatible with both Linux and Windows, which are different operating systems of computers. R can run anytime - it works on every kind of computer!
• In the world of R, everyone can join in on the fun. People can create new tricks for R, fix and improve little mistakes. 

Here, we have discussed the advantages of using the R language. However, we have learned why it is necessary to learn r programming. Now, we will elaborate on the demerits of it. 

Disadvantages:

• Sometimes, some things might not work perfectly in R because the rules for particular tools are not ideal.
• While using R, it doesn't bother too much about how much memory it's using, which means it might use up all the available memory on your computer.
• In R, if something goes wrong, there's not someone to complain to.
• Compared to other computer languages like Python and MATLAB, R can be a bit slower. It's like those languages can run faster races, but R takes its time to get to the finish line.

Now, we have just mentioned some common challenges of this language. Now, we will learn why R is needed.

Why Use R Programming Language?

• R is the most versatile and comprehensive for numbers. It's good at looking at data and finding interesting things. Moreover, users who love numbers, like statisticians and data experts, like using R because it helps them see patterns.
• It is open-source, which means anyone can grab it and use it.
• R contains various tools, like ggplot2, that help create beautiful pictures of data.
• If you ever need to organize or change your data, R is there to help. It has tools to make data tasks easier, like sorting and summarizing.
• R has high compatibility and gets along with everyone. It can work with other languages and connect to different data sources. It's like teamwork with Python, SQL, and other tools.
• In the world of R, there's a big collection of extra tools called packages. These tools help R do even more amazing things.

R Programming Example

Final Words

In conclusion, R programming language is the best tool for people who love numbers. Moreover, it helps them analyze data, make cool pictures, and work with friends like Python and SQL. Being free and friendly, it's the go-to choice for statisticians and data experts everywhere. With lots of extra tools, R keeps getting better, meeting different needs in a fun and creative way.