[Rd] median and data frames

[Patrick Burns]

If Martin's proposal is accepted, does
that mean that the median method for
data frames would be something like:

function (x, ...)
{
         stop(paste("you probably mean to use the command: sapply(",
                 deparse(substitute(x)), ", median)", sep=""))
}

Pat


On 29/04/2011 15:25, Martin Maechler wrote:
>>>>>> Paul Johnson<pauljohn32 at gmail.com>
>>>>>>      on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:20:27 -0500 writes:
>
>      >  On Wed, Apr 27, 2011 at 12:44 PM, Patrick Burns
>      >  <pburns at pburns.seanet.com>  wrote:
>      >>  Here are some data frames:
>      >>
>      >>  df3.2<- data.frame(1:3, 7:9)
>      >>  df4.2<- data.frame(1:4, 7:10)
>      >>  df3.3<- data.frame(1:3, 7:9, 10:12)
>      >>  df4.3<- data.frame(1:4, 7:10, 10:13)
>      >>  df3.4<- data.frame(1:3, 7:9, 10:12, 15:17)
>      >>  df4.4<- data.frame(1:4, 7:10, 10:13, 15:18)
>      >>
>      >>  Now here are some commands and their answers:
>
>      >>>  median(df4.4)
>      >>  [1]  8.5 11.5
>      >>>  median(df3.2[c(1,2,3),])
>      >>  [1] 2 8
>      >>>  median(df3.2[c(1,3,2),])
>      >>  [1]  2 NA
>      >>  Warning message:
>      >>  In mean.default(X[[2L]], ...) :
>      >>    argument is not numeric or logical: returning NA
>      >>
>      >>
>      >>
>      >>  The sessionInfo is below, but it looks
>      >>  to me like the present behavior started
>      >>  in 2.10.0.
>      >>
>      >>  Sometimes it gets the right answer.  I'd
>      >>  be grateful to hear how it does that -- I
>      >>  can't figure it out.
>      >>
>
>      >  Hello, Pat.
>
>      >  Nice poetry there!  I think I have an actual answer, as opposed to the
>      >  usual crap I spew.
>
>      >  I would agree if you said median.data.frame ought to be written to
>      >  work columnwise, similar to mean.data.frame.
>
>      >  apply and sapply  always give the correct answer
>
>      >>  apply(df3.3, 2, median)
>      >  X1.3   X7.9 X10.12
>      >  2      8     11
>
>      [...........]
>
> exactly
>
>      >  mean.data.frame is now implemented as
>
>      >  mean.data.frame<- function(x, ...) sapply(x, mean, ...)
>
> exactly.
>
> My personal oppinion is that  mean.data.frame() should never have
> been written.
> People should know, or learn, to use apply functions for such a
> task.
>
> The unfortunate fact that mean.data.frame() exists makes people
> think that median.data.frame() should too,
> and then
>
>    var.data.frame()
>     sd.data.frame()
>    mad.data.frame()
>    min.data.frame()
>    max.data.frame()
>    ...
>    ...
>
> all just in order to *not* to have to know  sapply()
> ????
>
> No, rather not.
>
> My vote is for deprecating  mean.data.frame().
>
> Martin
>

-- 
Patrick Burns
pburns at pburns.seanet.com
twitter: @portfolioprobe
http://www.portfolioprobe.com/blog
http://www.burns-stat.com
(home of 'Some hints for the R beginner'
and 'The R Inferno')