Module lessons (2/2)
Conditionals and Loops
To implement complex algorithms and procedures in R, you need to be able to control which instructions to execute and how many times to repeat them.
Conditional Statements
In R, the fundamental conditional structure is based on if and else. The syntax is very similar to languages like JavaScript or C:
score <- 85
if (score >= 60) {
print("Passed!")
} else {
print("Failed.")
}
Curly braces {} define the blocks of code to run depending on the outcome of the boolean expression inside parentheses.
The for Loop
The for loop in R is used to iterate over elements in a sequence (such as a vector or list).
# Print numbers from 1 to 3
for (i in 1:3) {
print(i)
}
In R, the 1:3 syntax is a shorthand way to create the vector c(1, 2, 3).
We can also loop directly over the elements of an existing vector:
fruits <- c("apple", "banana", "cherry")
for (fruit in fruits) {
print(fruit)
}
The ifelse Function
In R, the ifelse() function is a vectorized version of the if-else statement. It allows you to apply a condition to an entire vector in a single operation, returning a vector of results.
scores <- c(55, 80, 45, 90)
# Se score >= 60 assegna "Pass", altrimenti "Fail"
results <- ifelse(scores >= 60, "Pass", "Fail")
print(results) # "Fail" "Pass" "Fail" "Pass"
The while Loop
The while loop is used to repeat a block of code as long as a specific condition remains true (TRUE). It is essential to ensure that the condition eventually becomes false to prevent infinite loops.
counter <- 1
while (counter <= 3) {
print(counter)
counter <- counter + 1
}
Try it yourself
Write an if-else conditional statement that checks if the variable score is greater than or equal to 60. If it is, set status to 'Pass', otherwise set it to 'Fail'.
Show hint
Verifica score >= 60 e assegna status <- 'Pass' o status <- 'Fail'
Solution available after 3 attempts
Write a for loop that iterates over the sequence 1:5 and prints each value using the print() function.
Show hint
Usa la sintassi: for (i in 1:5) { print(i) }
Solution available after 3 attempts
Given the vector v, write a for loop that iterates over each element and prints its double (val * 2) using print().
Show hint
Scorri gli elementi di v: for (val in v) { print(val * 2) }
Solution available after 3 attempts
Given the vector scores, use the ifelse() function to check which elements are greater than or equal to 60. Save the result (which will contain 'Pass' or 'Fail' for each element) in the variable results.
Show hint
Use the function: results <- ifelse(scores >= 60, 'Pass', 'Fail')
Solution available after 3 attempts
Use a while loop to double the value of x until it exceeds 50. Also increment the counter variable at each iteration.
Show hint
Use a while loop (x <= 50) and update both x and counter inside the curly braces.
Solution available after 3 attempts