We are going to download R and a useful tool for R called R Studio. R Studio just helps us organize our inputs and outputs and automates some annoying tasks. Here are the steps for getting set up with both. Please follow these in order.
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Go to the Comprehensive R Archive Network and download the version of R appropriate for your computer. If you are a Windows or Linux user, you only need to install the "base" system. If you are a MacOS user, the "base" is your default pkg.
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Install the R file/package you just downloaded. You can just use the standard setup recommendations. It is easy to modify your installation later if you so choose.
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Open R and test that it works. You should see a window like the below. If you type in some math like 8*8, R should give you the correct answer (64).
4. After you have successfully installed R, close it and then go to the R Studio download page. This page will present you with two steps. Step 1 is to install R (you already did this). Step 2 is to download R Studio. This page should be smart enough to recognize your operating system and pick out the appropriate version of R Studio for you, but if it doesn't, there is a list of downloads lower down on the page where you can find your system-appropriate download.
5. Open R Studio. You should see a partitioned screen that looks like this:
Type in some math on the left, under where it says "Console" and R Studio should spit out the correct answer. If that works, then you have successfully installed everything you'll need to proceed.
R Studio is just an organizational tool. R is the calculating engine doing all the work behind the scenes. But we will access R through R Studio; we will always open up R Studio, not R. If you open up some file and a screen like the first image aboe pops up, you need to close it and open the file with R Studio instead.