[R] Meaning of Error Message from decompose

[Prof Brian Ripley]

Please note the request for a reproucible example at the foot of this (and 
every) message.  Your 'x' looks like a data frame, double-spaced by your 
mailer (and your sent HTML when asked not to, probably the cause).

However,

> x <- ts(c(36,44,45,106,38,46,47,112,42,49,48,118,42,50,51,118),
+         freq=4)
> decompose(x)

works, so my guess is that you did not set up a quarterly time series.

On Sat, 2 Feb 2008, Tom La Bone wrote:

> Greetings,
>
>
>
> For the following quarterly data I did a classical decomposition by hand in
> a spreadsheet and got reasonably similar results using Minitab 15.
>
>
>
>            x
>
> 1          36
>
> 2          44
>
> 3          45
>
> 4          106
>
> 5          38
>
> 6          46
>
> 7          47
>
> 8          112
>
> 9          42
>
> 10         49
>
> 11         48
>
> 12         118
>
> 13         42
>
> 14         50
>
> 15         51
>
> 16         118
>
>
>
> Trying my luck with R, I tried to use the decompose function but it gives me
> the following:
>
>
>
> Error in decompose(data.t) : time series has no or less than 3 periods
>
>
>
> data.t is indeed a time series (is.ts returns true) and when I plot data.t
> it looks like a times series.  Any suggestions on how to use decompose here
> (if it is the right function)?  Thanks.
>
>
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
> 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
>
> ______________________________________________
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> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595