Understanding Factors
A factor is a data structure used to represent categorical variables.
These variables take values from a limited and fixed set, such as blood type, currency, or nationality. Unlike numeric variables, such as height, income, or price, factors are designed for discrete categories.
Creating a Factor
Factors are built from vectors. To create one, define a vector and then apply the factor() function, which attaches the set of unique categories as levels.
Example
1234567# Create a vector of currency codes curr <- c('USD', 'EUR', 'AUD', 'NOK', 'CHF', 'EUR', 'AUD', 'EUR') # Convert the vector into a factor curr_f <- factor(curr) curr_f
The result looks like a normal vector but also includes a line called Levels, which lists all unique categories. These levels define the set of possible values the factor can take, making it especially useful in data analysis where categories need to be tracked consistently.
Swipe to start coding
You conducted a survey on blood groups and received 26 responses, which are now stored in the blood vector. Your task is to:
- Display the values of the original vector
blood. - Convert
bloodinto a factor and assign it to the variableblood_gr. - Display the values of
blood_gr.
Solution
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A factor is a data structure used to represent categorical variables.
These variables take values from a limited and fixed set, such as blood type, currency, or nationality. Unlike numeric variables, such as height, income, or price, factors are designed for discrete categories.
Creating a Factor
Factors are built from vectors. To create one, define a vector and then apply the factor() function, which attaches the set of unique categories as levels.
Example
1234567# Create a vector of currency codes curr <- c('USD', 'EUR', 'AUD', 'NOK', 'CHF', 'EUR', 'AUD', 'EUR') # Convert the vector into a factor curr_f <- factor(curr) curr_f
The result looks like a normal vector but also includes a line called Levels, which lists all unique categories. These levels define the set of possible values the factor can take, making it especially useful in data analysis where categories need to be tracked consistently.
Swipe to start coding
You conducted a survey on blood groups and received 26 responses, which are now stored in the blood vector. Your task is to:
- Display the values of the original vector
blood. - Convert
bloodinto a factor and assign it to the variableblood_gr. - Display the values of
blood_gr.
Solution
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