The basic advantage of R + R Markdown + knitr + Latex is that you can easily braid together your prose, R code, formulas and R output (e.g., plots and tables) in a single document.
Installing and configuring all of this will impose a modest learning curve at the start but will make life much easier down the road. Certain kinds of advanced typography, like formulas, rely on yet another language called Latex. The two languages are glued together with another language called knitr. For PO元46, we require students shift away from word processors like Microsoft Word and use a workflow that involves R and a formatting language called R Markdown (as is done in PO元45).
