7 Basic statistics

This chapter covers

  • Descriptive statistics
  • Frequency and contingency tables
  • Correlations and covariances
  • T-tests
  • Nonparametric statistics

In previous chapters, you learned how to import data into R and use a variety of functions to organize and transform the data into a useful format. We then reviewed basic methods for visualizing data.

Once your data is properly organized and you’ve begun to explore it visually, the next step is typically to describe the distribution of each variable numerically, followed by an exploration of the relationships among selected variables, two at a time. The goal is to answer questions like these:

  • What kind of mileage are cars getting these days? Specifically, what’s the distribution of miles ...

Get R in Action, Third Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.