R help - Sep 2008 - Error in Cut command - 'x' must be numeric?

Hi Everyone

I have a data set I want to bucket into deciles. Have been trying (without)
success to use cut and using online help to understand my error. Here is my code
to read in a few sample rows. I want to then create deciles by this variable
>
a<-read.csv("c:/temp/petrol.csv",header=TRUE,sep=",")
> a
   tot_rdm_amt
1        40.15
2       332.65
3       533.37
4       225.54
5       503.89
6       161.57
7       266.61
8       100.50
9       268.81
10      593.86
11      306.27
12      303.43
13      308.09
14      802.36
15      271.51
16      479.99
17      170.00
18      467.08
19      637.10
> b<-cut(a,10)
Error in cut.default(a, 10) : 'x' must be
numeric
> summary(a)
  tot_rdm_amt    
 Min.   : 40.15  
 1st Qu.:246.07  
 Median :306.27  
 Mean   :356.46  
 3rd Qu.:491.94  
 Max.   :802.36  
> 
I cannot work out why I am getting the error when summary produces sumamry
stats, so clearly its reading as numeric?

Yet when I run the following commands (from online R-Help doc), I get no issues:
> Z <- stats::rnorm(10000) 
> table(cut(Z, breaks = -6:6)) 
Any assistance would be greatful. Am new user to R so clearly missing something
basic here!

Thanks
Peter



Peter Mackay
Data Mining Specialist
Corporate - Customer Engagement
Woolworths Limited

P 02 8885 2345 | F 02 8888 2345 | M  0425 319 306
E pmackay@woolworths.com.au 
> 1 Woolworths Way Bella Vista, NSW 2153
> PO Box 8000 Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153
Mail point: E1.B7

P PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU PRINT THIS E-MAIL


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a is a data.frame that contains a numeric vector "tot_rdm_amt", hence 
you want to use cut(a$tot_rdm_amt,10), I guess

Uwe Ligges



Mackay Peter wrote:
> Hi Everyone
> 
> I have a data set I want to bucket into deciles. Have been trying (without)
success to use cut and using online help to understand my error. Here is my code
to read in a few sample rows. I want to then create deciles by this variable
> 
>>
a<-read.csv("c:/temp/petrol.csv",header=TRUE,sep=",")
>> a
>    tot_rdm_amt
> 1        40.15
> 2       332.65
> 3       533.37
> 4       225.54
> 5       503.89
> 6       161.57
> 7       266.61
> 8       100.50
> 9       268.81
> 10      593.86
> 11      306.27
> 12      303.43
> 13      308.09
> 14      802.36
> 15      271.51
> 16      479.99
> 17      170.00
> 18      467.08
> 19      637.10
>> b<-cut(a,10)
> Error in cut.default(a, 10) : 'x' must be numeric
>> summary(a)
>   tot_rdm_amt    
>  Min.   : 40.15  
>  1st Qu.:246.07  
>  Median :306.27  
>  Mean   :356.46  
>  3rd Qu.:491.94  
>  Max.   :802.36  
> 
> I cannot work out why I am getting the error when summary produces sumamry
stats, so clearly its reading as numeric?
> 
> Yet when I run the following commands (from online R-Help doc), I get no
issues:
> 
>> Z <- stats::rnorm(10000) 
>> table(cut(Z, breaks = -6:6)) 
> 
> Any assistance would be greatful. Am new user to R so clearly missing
something basic here!
> 
> Thanks
> Peter
> 
> 
> 
> Peter Mackay
> Data Mining Specialist
> Corporate - Customer Engagement
> Woolworths Limited
> 
> P 02 8885 2345 | F 02 8888 2345 | M  0425 319 306
> E pmackay at woolworths.com.au 
> 
>> 1 Woolworths Way Bella Vista, NSW 2153
>> PO Box 8000 Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153
> Mail point: E1.B7
> 
> P PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU PRINT THIS E-MAIL
> 
> 
> ***********************************************************
> CAUTION: This email and files included in its transmission 
> are solely intended for the use of the addressee(s) and may 
> contain information that is confidential and privileged. 
> If you receive this email in error, please advise us 
> immediately and delete it without copying the contents 
> contained within. Woolworths Limited (including its group 
> of companies) do not accept liability for the views 
> expressed within or the consequences of any computer 
> viruses that may be transmitted with this email. The 
> contents are also subject to copyright. No part of it 
> should be reproduced, adapted or transmitted without the 
> written consent of the copyright owner.
> ***********************************************************
> 
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> 
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