R help - Feb 2008 - Discriminant function analysis

Hello R-Cracks,

I am using R 2.6.1 on a PowerBook G4.
I would like to perform a discriminant function analysis. I found lda  
in MASS but as far as I understood, is it only working with  
explanatory variables of the class factor. My dataset contains  
variables of the classes factor and numeric.
Is there another function that is able to handle this?

Thank you all in advance.

Greetings

Birgit

Birgit Lemcke
Institut f?r Systematische Botanik
Zollikerstrasse 107
CH-8008 Z?rich
Switzerland
Ph: +41 (0)44 634 8351
birgit.lemcke at systbot.uzh.ch

175 Jahre UZH
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19. April 2008, 10.00 Uhr bis 02.00 Uhr
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Weitere Informationen www.175jahre.uzh.ch

On 2008-02-06, Birgit Lemcke <birgit.lemcke at systbot.uzh.ch>
wrote:
>
> I am using R 2.6.1 on a PowerBook G4.
> I would like to perform a discriminant function analysis. I found lda  
> in MASS but as far as I understood, is it only working with  
> explanatory variables of the class factor. 
I think you are mistaken. If you reread the help for lda() you'll see
that the grouping has to be a factor, but the explanatory variables
should be numeric.
> My dataset contains variables of the classes factor and numeric. Is
> there another function that is able to handle this?
The numeric variables are fine. The factor variables may have to be
recoded into dummy binary variables, I'm not sure if lda() will deal
with them properly otherwise.

HTH,

Tyler