Factors

A Factor is an interesting data structure in R language used to categorize data. By categorizing data, we mean fields that take only predefined, a limited, or finite number of values (categorical variables).

For example, the marital status of a person can be one of the following:

• Single
• Married
• Separated
• Divorced
• Widowed

Here we know that the possible values for marital status are $5$. These values are predefined and distinct and are called levels.

Creating Factors

Factors can be created using the factor() function. This function takes all the levels in the form of a vector. Let’s dive right into the code.