Computational Math Camp: Day 2

SURVEY

At the end of Day 1, the class designed a new survey to be used in Day 2. The questions (and variable types) for the Day 2 survey were: 

  1. Name (character)

  2. Email Address (unique character)

  3. When did you arrive in Ithaca? (date)

  4. Of the following places, which ones have you visited in Ithaca: Collegetown Bagels, Wegmans, Ithaca Mall, Ithaca Commons, Ithaca Falls, Beebe Lake, Buttermilk Falls, Farmer’s Market, Cascadilla Gorge, Stewart Park, Cass Park? (character)

  5. What is your favorite food? (character)

  6. How many hours of sleep do you get each night? (integer)

  7. Do you have a car? (logical)

  8. How much do you like to hike? (factor)

Students completed the survey before they left on Day 1 and I compiled their responses into a CSV.

Discussion Questions

  1. How do you use the help function in R?

  2. When is it appropriate to include a command to clear the environment in your script? (Hint: when you’re the only one using it!)

  3. What are the components of the output when you summarize a regression model?

  4. What goes on the right hand side of a regression? (Note: this is just to consider a topic they will consider throughout their graduate coursework)

  5. What do you do if you create a new variable and something doesn’t look right? (Possible causes: error in data entry, error in code)

Sample Files

You can access a sample CSV file here, a sample .R file without solutions here, and a sample .R file with solutions here (don’t forget to update the working directory for your machine!)

Designing the Survey for Day 3

At the end of Day 2, students designed a survey for Day 3. They wanted to know about one another’s hometowns and current living situations.