This book is about data analysis and the programming language called R. This is rapidly becoming the de facto standard among professionals, and is used in every conceivable discipline from science and medicine to business and engineering.

R is more than just a computer program; it is a statistical programming environment and language. R is free and open source and is therefore available to everyone with a computer. It is very powerful and flexible, but it is also unlike most of the computer programs you are likely used to. You have to type commands directly into the program to make it work for you. Because of this, and its complexity, R can be hard to get a grip on.

This book delves into the language of R and makes it accessible using simple data examples to explore its power and versatility. In learning how to “speak R,” you will unlock its potential and gain better insights into tackling even the most complex of data analysis tasks.

Conquer the complexities of this open source statistical language

R is fast becoming the de facto standard for statistical computing and analysis in science, business, engineering, and related fields. This book examines this complex language using simple statistical examples, showing how R operates in a user-friendly context. Both students and workers in fields that require extensive statistical analysis will find this book helpful as they learn to use R for simple summary statistics, hypothesis testing, creating graphs, regression, and much more. It covers formula notation, complex statistics, manipulating data and extracting components, and rudimentary programming.

• R, the open source statistical language increasingly used to handle statistics and produces publication-quality graphs, is notoriously complex
• This book makes R easier to understand through the use of simple statistical examples, teaching the necessary elements in the context in which R is actually used
• Covers getting started with R and using it for simple summary statistics, hypothesis testing, and graphs
• Shows how to use R for formula notation, complex statistics, manipulating data, extracting components, and regression
• Provides beginning programming instruction for those who want to write their own scripts

Beginning R offers anyone who needs to perform statistical analysis the information necessary to use R with confidence.