R software
R is an open-source statistics software package and programming
environment. We will use R
to carry out simulations. Some students may wish to do data analysis
in R as well.
The information on this page about getting started with R is
specific to Windows.
Users of Linux or
MacOS should see the R download page at
the Comprehensive R Archive Network
(CRAN).
Installing R for Windows
R consists of a "base" distribution and add-on packages that may
be downloaded and installed separately. To install the base distribution,
download the Setup program
(about 20 megabytes) and run it. The
setup will ask you to agree to the licence and ask for a location on
your computer to install R.
Installing packages
To install packages you have (at least)
two options. One is to first download the package's zip file
from CRAN to your computer and then install it.
The second option (easier) is to install the package directly from the web.
To install a package, start R and choose the Packages item from the
menu. First choose "Set CRAN mirror" and select Canada (BC). This is
a local mirror site on the CRAN network.
Now from the Packages menu you can choose "Install package(s)"
to install from the web
(you will see a list of all available packages pop up -- choose the one(s)
you want).
To use a package you have installed, you must use
the Packages-->Load package menu item.
If you plan to do data analysis in R, I recommend that you install
the
Rcmdr package,
a basic-statistics GUI (graphical user interface) for R.
Getting help
If you would
like more information about R and using R see the
manuals
page on CRAN.