Linux Users Group learns about statistics using R

The Linux Users Group of Davis will host a presentation titled “Making Predictions Using Linux and R” at 7 p.m. Monday, March 18, in the Blanchard Room at the Stephens Branch Library, 315 E. 14th St. in Davis.

R is an open-source programming language tailored to output statistics. R’s syntax is similar to C and Java; however, many built-in function names and the structures returned from function calls are cryptic. The presentation will translate these cryptic components into the common language used in statistics.

Statistics used to forecast cause/effect relationships will be developed. When measurements of the “cause” variables are made, a prediction of the “effect” variable will result.

Tim Riley will present R using live examples. He has been developing research databases for the Everglades National Park since 1998. He holds a computer science degree from Florida International University and an accounting degree from Sacramento State.

The Linux Users Group of Davis is a computer club of nearly 450 members who share an interest in Linux — a Unix-like operating system that is freely available. Linux runs computers from a Raspberry Pi (a $25 circuit board) to Wikipedia. The computer club’s mission is to advocate the use of Linux and the many open-source applications it runs.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of each month, and a social gathering takes place at a local restaurant on the first Tuesday of each month. The club does not collect dues; however, a collection jar is passed around at each meeting. More information is available at lugod.org.