Название: Statistics Applied with the R Commander: Data Analysis Is (Not) an Art
Автор: Franz Kronthaler
Издательство: Springer
Год: 2024
Страниц: 349
Язык: английский
Формат: pdf (true)
Размер: 17.2 MB

This book shows you how to analyze data sets systematically and to use the R Commander to extract information from data almost effortlessly. Both are (not) an art!

The statistical methods are presented and discussed using a single data set. This makes it clear how the methods build on each other and gradually more and more information can be extracted from the data. R and the R Commander functions used are explained in detail – the procedure can be easily transferred to other data sets. The book thus provides a simple introduction to professional and free statistical software.

Various didactic elements facilitate orientation and working with the book: At the checkpoints, the most important aspects from each chapter are briefly summarized. In the freak knowledge section, more advanced aspects are addressed to whet the appetite for more. All examples are calculated with hand and the R Commander. Numerous applications and solutions as well as further data sets are available on the author's internet platform.

Data analysis today fortunately no longer happens by hand. We have various computer programs available to assist us, e.g. Excel, SPSS or “R”. Which of these programs should we use?

Excel is Microsoft’s spreadsheet program. It is not pure statistical software, but it has a variety of functions that can be used for data analysis. The advantages of Excel are that it can be operated via a graphical interface, that we usually know it and that it is installed on our private computer. In addition, it is usually also available in the company we work. The disadvantage is that not all statistical applications are available.

The statistical program SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences is a professional statistical software. Accordingly, it has most of the known applications of statistics. Like Excel, SPSS works via a graphical interface and no programming skills are necessary. The big disadvantage of SPSS is the price. Also, we cannot easily access it in a company where SPSS is not available.

A free and also professional statistical software is available with the program “R”. “R” is an open source software, many people are involved in its development, and like SPSS, it allows the application of most of the known methods of statistics. The great advantage of “R” lies in its free availability, the wide range of statistical methods and the ever-growing mass of people who use this program and offer help on the Internet. However, a disadvantage is that the use of “R” requires some programming skills. This is particularly the case with complex statistical applications.

Which software should we use? For various reasons, R and Excel are good solutions. We already know Excel, Excel is available on our computer and on the company computer, and Excel has a variety of statistical methods. In addition, many organizations provide data as Excel files. Excel allows us to learn statistics without having to resort to new software (this book is therefore also available in an Excel version).

Those who are not afraid to learn a new software will be well served with R and the R Commander. R is free, available as open source software and we can find numerous aids on the Internet. In addition, R is becoming the standard in data analysis. Anyone who wants to deal more professionally with data analysis in the future should consider switching to R at some point, so why not start with it? We do this in this book with Chap. 2. We show how to install R and the R Commander and how to work with this software.