---

title: "Lesson 2: Create your own data frame"

output: html_document
---

## Background for this activity

This activity is focused on creating and using data frames in `R`. A data frame is
a collection of columns containing data, similar to a spreadsheet or SQL table.
Data frames are one of the basic tools you will use to work with data in `R`. And
you can create data frames from different data sources.

There are three common sources for data:

- A`package` with data that can be accessed by loading that `package`

- An external file like a spreadsheet or CSV that can be imported into `R`
- Data that has been generated from scratch using `R` code

Wherever data comes from, you will almost always want to store it in a data frame
object to work with it. Now, you can start creating and exploring data frames with
the code chunks in the RMD space. To interact with the code chunk, click the green
arrow in the top-right corner of the chunk. The executed code will appear in the
RMD space and your console.

Throughout this activity, you will also have the opportunity to practice writing
your own code by making changes to the code chunks yourself. If you encounter an
error or get stuck, you can always check the Lesson2_Dataframe_Solutions .rmd file
in the Solutions folder under Week 3 for the complete, correct code.

## Step 1: Load packages

Start by installing the required package; in this case, you will want to install
`tidyverse`. If you have already installed and loaded `tidyverse` in this session,
feel free to skip the code chunks in this step.

```{r}
install.packages("tidyverse")
```

Once a package is installed, you can load it by running the `library()` function
with the package name inside the parentheses:

```{r}
library(tidyverse)
```

## Step 2: Create data frame

Sometimes you will need to generate a data frame directly in `R`. There are a
number of ways to do this; one of the most common is to create individual vectors
of data and then combine them into a data frame using the `data.frame()` function.

Here's how this works. First, create a vector of names by inserting four names into
this code block between the quotation marks and then run it:

```{r}
names <- c("", "", "", "")
```

Then create a vector of ages by adding four ages separated by commas to the code
chunk below. Make sure you are inputting numeric values for the ages or you might
get an error.

```{r}
age <- c(, , , )
```

With these two vectors, you can create a new data frame called `people`:

```{r}
people <- data.frame(names, age)
```

## Step 3: inspect the data frame

Now that you have this data frame, you can use some different functions to inspect
it.

One common function you can use to preview the data is the `head()` function, which
returns the columns and the first several rows of data. You can check out how the
`head()` function works by running the chunk below:

```{r}
head(people)
```

In addition to `head()`, there are a number of other useful functions to summarize

or preview your data. For example, the `str()` and `glimpse()` functions will both
provide summaries of each column in your data arranged horizontally. You can check
out these two functions in action by running the code chunks below:

```{r}
str(people)
```

```{r}
glimpse(people)
```

You can also use `colnames()` to get a list the column names in your data set. Run
the code chunk below to check out this function:

```{r}
colnames(people)
```

Now that you have a data frame, you can work with it using all of the tools in `R`.
For example, you could use `mutate()` if you wanted to create a new variable that
would capture each person's age in twenty years. The code chunk below creates that
new variable:

```{r}
mutate(people, age_in_20 = age + 20)
```

## Step 4: Try it yourself

To get more familiar with creating and using data frames, use the code chunks below
to create your own custom data frame.

First, create a vector of any five different fruits. You can type directly into the
code chunk below; just place your cursor in the box and click to type. Once you
have input the fruits you want in your data frame, run the code chunk.

```{r}

```

Now, create a new vector with a number representing your own personal rank for each
fruit. Give a 1 to the fruit you like the most, and a 5 to the fruit you like the
least. Remember, the scores need to be in the same order as the fruit above. So if
your favorite fruit is last in the list above, the score `1` needs to be in the
last position in the list below. Once you have input your rankings, run the code
chunk.

```{r}

```

Finally, combine the two vectors into a data frame. You can call it `fruit_ranks`.
Edit the code chunk below and run it to create your data frame.

```{r}

```

After you run this code chunk, it will create a data frame with your fruits and
rankings.

## Activity Wrap Up
In this activity, you learned how to create data frames, view them with summary
functions like `head()` and `glimpse()`, and then made changes with the `mutate()`
function. You can continue practicing these skills by modifying the code chunks in
the rmd file, or use this code as a starting point in your own project console. As
you explore data frames, consider how they are similar and different to the tables
you have worked with in other data analysis tools like spreadsheets and SQL. Data
frames are one of the most basic building blocks you will need to work with data in
`R`. So understanding how to create and work with data frames is an important first
step to analyzing data.

Make sure to mark this activity as complete in Coursera.