R Tutorial

Understanding Operators in R

Operators are special symbols or keywords in R that perform operations on data. They allow you to perform calculations, comparisons, logical decisions, and assignments. Mastering operators is essential to write efficient and clear R code.

1. Arithmetic Operators

These operators help you perform basic mathematical calculations.

2. Relational Operators

Used to compare values and return TRUE or FALSE.

• == : Equal to
• != : Not equal to
• > : Greater than
• < : Less than
• >= : Greater than or equal to
• <= : Less than or equal to

3. Logical Operators

Help combine multiple conditions or reverse them.

4. Assignment Operators

Used to assign values to variables.

• <- : Most common and recommended
• = : Also works but can be ambiguous in function calls
• -> : Assign value from left to variable on right

Practical Examples

# Assign values
x <- 15
y <- 4

# Arithmetic
sum <- x + y        # 19
diff <- x - y       # 11
prod <- x * y       # 60
quot <- x / y       # 3.75
power <- x ^ y      # 50625
mod <- x %% y       # 3
int_div <- x %/% y  # 3

# Relational
x == y      # FALSE
x != y      # TRUE
x > y       # TRUE
x <= y      # FALSE

# Logical
(x > 10) & (y < 10)   # TRUE
(x == 15) | (y == 10) # TRUE
!(x == y)             # TRUE

# Assignment
z = 100
200 -> w
  

Tips to Remember

• Use <- for assignment to keep your code consistent and clear.
• Logical operators && and || only evaluate the first element (useful in if conditions).
• Element-wise logical operators & and | work with vectors.
• Modulo %% is very useful to find remainders, especially in loops or conditional checks.