Statistical Analysis: an Introduction using R/R/Storing objects

R topic:   R is what is known as an "object-oriented" program. Everything (including the numbers you have just typed) is a type of object. Later we will see why this concept is so useful. For the time being, you need only note that you can give a name to an object, which has the effect of storing it for later use. Names can be assigned by using the arrow-like signs and   as demonstrated in the exercise below. Which sign you use depends on whether you prefer putting the name first or last (it may be helpful to think of  as "put into" and   as "set to").

Unlike many statistical packages, R does not usually display the results of analyses you perform. Instead, analyses usually end up by producing an object which can be stored. Results can then be obtained from the object at leisure. For this reason, when doing statistics in R, you will often find yourself naming and storing objects. The name you choose should consist of letters, numbers, and the "." character, and should not start with a number.