Correlation Matrix

Heatmaps offer a wide range of customization options and can be used to visualize various data types and patterns. In ggplot2, we can use the ggplot() function with the geom_tile() function to effectively communicate our findings and insights to others. However, heatmaps can become cluttered and difficult to interpret when displaying many variables. In contrast, a correlation matrix can display all relationships more compactly.

Let’s explore the correlation matrix and its customization.

Introduction to the correlation matrix

A correlation matrix is a type of matrix that shows the correlations between different variables in a dataset. It is a helpful tool for understanding the relationships between variables and identifying which variables are most strongly correlated with each other.

One way to create a correlation matrix in R is to use the ggcorrplot package. This package provides a range of options for creating and customizing correlation matrices and can be used in combination with the ggplot2 package to create high-quality plots with minimal code.

Basic correlation matrix in ggplot2

We’ll use the mtcars dataset from R’s inbuilt datasets to calculate the correlation. Let’s import the ggcorrplot package and print the first few rows of the mtcars dataset using the code below:

To create a correlation matrix in R using ggplot2, we can use the cor ...