Can anyone help me with my programming homework please!

I was assigned some homework today that is to do with while loops, but I am just completely lost here. I understand what while loops are, but I don't know what to do in this assignment. This was the assignment.


Write a count controlled loop than can print "i" char
the user is supposed to input a integer and that integer is how many asterisks there is on the blade, in this case it is 5.

* *
** ** **---------------
*******
** ** **
* ** * -10 Rows high
** -blade always connects on second row of handle
**
**
**
**------------------

These are the steps he told us to do it in.


1) *
**
***
****
*****

2) *
**
***
****
*****
****
***
**
*

3) * *
** **
*** ***
**** ****
**********

4) * *
** **
*** ***
**** ****
**********
**** ****
*** ***
** **
* *

5)* *
** ** **
*******
** ** **
* ** *
**
**
**
**
**
IF anyone could help me I would be extremely grateful!

The asterisks got messed up when I posted the thread but this is what its supposed to look like.

Attachment 30395

I would first do the loop on step one first. Notice that's only half of the shape of #2 so you just mirror the loop statement. Then you go from there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lethargic

I would first do the loop on step one first. Notice that's only half of the shape of #2 so you just mirror the loop statement. Then you go from there.

---

This is what I have so far

#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
char a;
int i;

a=42;
cout<<"Enter in number ";
cin>> i;

while(i>0){
cout<<a<<endl<<a;
i=i-1;
}

system("PAUSE");
return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

I don't know what to do now. When I input a number it does however many asterisks, but how do I get the next row? Do I create another while loop?

I would have to say, this isn't as easy as I thought. Yeah, create loops for other rows.