R Matrix – How to create, name and modify matrices in R?

In this TechVidvan tutorial, you will explore a matrix in R with examples. You will learn to create, modify, and access R matrix components.

A matrix is a two-dimensional, homogeneous data structure in R. This means that it has two dimensions, rows and columns.

A matrix can store data of a single basic type (numeric, logical, character, etc.). Therefore, a matrix can be a combination of two or more vectors.

In this article, we will learn about matrices in R. We will explore the various methods to create matrices and also learn how to access their elements and how to modify them.

We will also look at how to convert vectors into matrices and vice versa. Finally, we will look at how R handles matrix arithmetic.

How to create a matrix in R?

We can create matrics using the matrix() function. The syntax of the matrix() function is:

matrix(data,byrow,nrow,ncol,dimnames)

The arguments in the matrix function are the following:

  1. data – data contains the elements in the R matrix.
  2. byrow – byrow is a logical variable. Matrices are by default column-wise. By setting byrow as TRUE, we can arrange the data row-wise in the matrix.
  3. nrow – defines the number of rows in the R matrix.
  4. ncol – defines the number of columns in the R matrix.
  5. dimnames – takes two character arrays as input for row names and column names.

1. Using matrix() Function

Here is an example of creating a matrix with the matrix() function:

Code:

> mat1.data <- c(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)
> mat1 <- matrix(mat1.data,nrow=3,ncol=3,byrow=TRUE)
> mat1

Output:

creating R matrix

Note – It is not necessary to specify both nrow and ncol. Only one of the two is required. R calculated the other based on the length of the data. For example:

Code:

> mat2.data <- c(10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18)
> mat2 <- matrix(mat2.data,nrow=3)
> mat2

Output:

creating R matrix

Note- Notice how without the byrow=TRUE argument, the matrix mat2 is column-wise.

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2. Using rbind() or cbind() Function

Another way of creating an R matrix is to combine vectors as rows or columns using the rbind() or cbind() functions. For example:

Code:

> mat3.data1 <- c(1,2,3)
> mat3.data2 <- c(4,5,6)
> mat3.data3 <- c(7,8,9)
> mat3 <- cbind(mat3.data1,mat3.data2,mat3.data3)
> mat3

Output:

creating a R matrix using cbind()Code:

> mat4 <- rbind(mat3.data1,mat3.data2,mat3.data3)
> mat4

Output:

creating a matrix using rbind

3. Using dim() Function

We can also create an R matrix by changing a vector’s dimensions using the dim() function. For example:

Code:

> mat5 <- c(2,3,5,9)
> mat5

Code:

> dim(mat5) <- c(2,2)
> mat5

Output:

creating R matrix using dim()

How to name the rows and columns of an R matrix?

It is possible to name the rows and columns of the matrix during creation with the dimnames argument of the matrix() function. For example:

Code:

> rnames <- c("row1","row2","row3")
> cnames <- c("col1","col2","col3")
> named_matrix <- matrix(mat1.data,nrow=3,byrow=TRUE,dimnames=list(rnames,cnames))
> named_matrix

Output:

naming rows and columns dimnames in R matrix

We can also name the rows and columns of an R matrix after its creation by using the rownames() or colnames() functions. For example:

Code:

> rownames(mat1) <- c("r1","r2","r3")
> colnames(mat1) <- c("c1","c2","c3")
> mat1

Output:

naming rownames() and colnames() in R matrix

How to access individual components of the R matrix?

We can access the elements of a matrix named mat using square brackets as mat[row, col], where row and col are the vectors. We can use the vector indexing techniques to index a matrix, similar to vector indexing.

Using integer vectors

We can specify the needed row and column numbers in vectors and use them to index a matrix. If we leave the row or column field blank inside the square brackets, R selects all the rows/columns. We can also use negative integers to exclude rows or columns. If we select a single row or column this way, the result is a vector and not a matrix. We can use the drop=FALSE argument to avoid this behavior.

Code:

> mat2[1,2] #first row second column of mat2

Output:

[1] 13

Code:

> mat2[c(1,3),c(2,3)] #first and third row and second and third column

Output:

        [,1]   [,2]
[1,]    13   16
[2,]    15   18

Code:

> mat2[2, ] #second row of mat2

Output:

[1] 11 14 17

Code:

> mat2[2, , drop=FALSE] #second row of mat2 with drop=FALSE

Output:

       [,1]   [,2]   [,3]
[1,]   11   14     17

indexing using positive integers

Code:

> mat2[c(-1),c(-2,-3),drop=FALSE] #first row and second and third column are excluded

Output:

indexing using negative integers - R matrix

Using logical vectors

We can use logical vectors of the same lengths as the matrix’s dimensions to specify the rows and columns needed. This excludes the row/columns corresponding to FALSE and includes the one corresponding to TRUE.

Code:

> mat2[c(TRUE,FALSE,TRUE),c(FALSE,TRUE,TRUE)]

Output:
indexing using logical R vector

When using logical vectors for indexing, R recycles the vector, if the length of the indexing vector is not equal to the matrix’s dimensions.

Code:

> mat2[c(TRUE,FALSE),c(FALSE,TRUE,TRUE)] #the row vector is recycled to 3 elements.

Output:
 indexing using logical R vectors recycling

Using character vectors

For matrices with named rows and columns, we can use the row and column names to access elements of the R matrix.

Code:

> named_matrix[c("row1","row2"),c("col2","col3")]

Output:

indexing using character R vectors

Using combination of indexing

We can also use these indexing techniques in combination with one another as well.

Code:

> mat2[c(1,3),c(T,F)]

Output:

[,1]   [,2]
[1,]     10    16
[2,]     12   18

Code:

> mat2[c(1,2),-3]

Output:

[,1]  [,2]
[1,]    10   13
[2,]    11   14

Code:

> named_matrix[c("row2","row3"),c(1,2)]

Output:

col1  col2
row2    4     5
row3    7     8

indexing using combination of R vectors

We can index the R matrix with a single vector. When using this technique, the result is a vector formed by stacking the columns of the matrix one after another.

Code:

> mat2[c(3,4,5,6,7)]

Output:
indexing using a single R vector

How to modify a matrix in R?

We modify the R matrix by using the various indexing techniques along with the assignment operator.

Code:

> mat2[c(1), ] <- c(1,2,3)
> mat2

Code:

> mat2[mat2%%2!=0] <- 1 #elements not divisible by 2 are relaced with 1
> mat2

Output:

modifying elements in R matrix

We can add a row or column by storing the new row/column in a vector and using the rbind() or cbind() functions to combine them with the matrix.

Code:

> mat2 <- cbind(mat2,c(1,2,3))
> mat2

Code:

> mat2 <- rbind(mat2,c(4,5,6,7))
> mat2

Output:

modifying R matix using cbind and rbind

Transposing a matrix is very easy in R. We simply use the t() function.

Code:

> t(mat1)

Output:
matrices in r modifying t()

How to perform arithmetic operations in R matrix?

We can use the R operators to perform various arithmetic operations on matrices. The results of these operations are also matrices. We can add, subtract, multiply or divide matrices with constants.

Multiplication:

> mat1*5

Addition:

> mat1+2

Output:
R matrix arithmetic constant multiply and addSubtraction:

> mat1-1

Division:

> mat1/2

Output:

matrmatrix arithmetic constant subtract and divide - R vector

We can also add, subtract, multiply or divide matrices with other matrices within the rules of matrix arithmetic.

Addition of matrices:

> mat_add <- mat1+mat3
> mat_add

Subtraction of matrices:

> mat_sub <- mat1-mat3
> mat_sub

Output:
R matrix addition and subtraction

Multiplication of matrices:

> mat_mul <- mat1*mat3
> mat_mul

Division of matrices:

> mat_div <- mat1/mat3
> mat_div

Output:
R matrix multiplication and division

Summary

Matrices are homogeneous data structures in R. They can only store data of a single basic data type.

Matrices are vectors with two-dimensions. If confused with vectors, get a complete understanding of R vector.

In this article, we learned about R matrices and their role in the R programming language.

We learned how to create them and how to name their rows and columns. We also learned how to access their elements and how to modify them. Finally, we learned how basic matrix arithmetic works in R.

We hope that this article clearly explained the basics of matrices in the R programming language to you.

Keep Learning!!

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1 Response

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