11 August 2022,
On the last weekly meet and discussion, we were assigned into groups to do group tasks and projects. Moreover, we were also assigned to finish an Introduction to R course on datacamp.com by the week.
The course contains of six chapters:
1. Intro to Basics
In this chapter, we learned about the basic usage of the R console as a calculator and variable assignments. Hence the name, it was not challenging to finish this chapter as each exercise is equipped with simple commands and also uncomplicated theories.
2. Vectors
In this chapter, we learned about how to create vectors in R, name vectors, select elements from vectors, and compare different vectors. At this stage, it was quite challenging as there were so many new terms that we had to understand first, but it was still bearable and we still enjoyed the process.
3. Matrices
In this chapter, we learned how to create matrices and do basic computations with them. We also learned how to analyze data with matrices using a study case in R. At this stage, it was already challenging because I have to recall matrix learning materials a bit from my high school math lessons, although It wasn’t that complicated, still I have to know first the usage of matrices. I also reflect on how matrices can be applied and used in our daily lives, for example, in this chapter the study case on how to analyze box office numbers of a certain movie. It’s awesome how I can see with my own eyes how mathematics plays a big role in our lives, especially in data science.
4. Factors
In this chapter, we learned about how to store categorical variables with factors in R. It was also stated that factors are very important in data analysis. We also learned how to create factors, subset factors, and compare factors. It was challenging to understand the implementation of factors and the usage in R, but after several practices and explanations, we were able to understand the application of factors in data analysis.
5. Data frames
In this chapter, we learned about data frames that store datasets. We also learned how to create them, select parts of them, and order a data frame according to certain variables. This, by far, is my most favorite chapter of the course because it contains lessons on datasets that I think I would encounter during my years as a medical student. So, I took many notes in this chapter, and I personally liked and enjoyed the process. Storing data can’t be much more fun than this.
6. Lists
In the last chapter of the course, we learned about lists. Lists hold components of different types of data, name it matrices, vectors, data frames, or even other lists. We also learned how to create them, name them, and subset them.
All in all, I enjoyed the process of learning R in datacamp because it is practical, easy-to-learn, and is highly guided. Throughout this course, I can finally learn how to apply mathematics in learning statistics and data!