Again inspired by a task for programming 101 here's another challenge.

Input:

• A positive integer n >= 3. (has to be odd)

Output:

• n lines of asterisks, where the first line has n asterisks and every new line has two asterisks less than the line before. Until hitting 1 asterisk. From there every new line has two asterisks more than the line before until getting back to n asterisks. Spaces or something like spaces have to used to align the asterisks so that it really will look like an hourglass.

General rules:

• Trailing newlines are allowed but do not have to be used.
• indentation is a must.
• This is code-golf, so shortest answer in bytes wins.
• Since the course is taught in C++, I'm eager to see solutions in C++.

Test case (n=5):

*****
 ***
  *
 ***
*****

Again inspired by a task for Programming 101 here's another challenge.

Input:

• A positive integer n >= 3. (has to be odd)

Output:

• n lines of asterisks, where the first line has n asterisks and every new line has two asterisks less than the line before. Until hitting 1 asterisk. From there every new line has two asterisks more than the line before until getting back to n asterisks. Spaces or something like spaces have to used to align the asterisks so that it really will look like an hourglass.

General rules:

• Trailing newlines are allowed but do not have to be used.
• indentation is a must.
• This is code-golf, so shortest answer in bytes wins.
• Since the course is taught in C++, I'm eager to see solutions in C++.

Test case (n=5):

*****
 ***
  *
 ***
*****

Again inspired by a task for programming 101 here's another challenge.

Input:

• A positive integer n >= 3. (has to be odd for the indentation variant)

Output:

• With indentation: n lines of asterisks, where the first line has n asterisks and every new line has two asterisks less than the line before. Until hitting 1 asterisk. From there every new line has two asterisks more than the line before until getting back to n asterisks.
• Without: n*2-1 lines of asterisks, where the first line has n asterisks and every new line has one asterisk less than the line before. Until hitting 1 asterisk. From there every new line has one asterisk more than the line before until getting back to n asterisks.

General rules:

• Trailing newlines are allowed but do not have to be used.
• This is code-golf, so shortest answer in bytes wins.
• Since the course is taught in C++, I'm eager to see solutions in C++.

Test cases (n=5):

With indentation:

*****
 ***
  *
 ***
*****

Without:

*****
****
***
**
*
**
***
****
*****

Again inspired by a task for programming 101 here's another challenge.

Input:

• A positive integer n >= 3. (has to be odd)

Output:

• n lines of asterisks, where the first line has n asterisks and every new line has two asterisks less than the line before. Until hitting 1 asterisk. From there every new line has two asterisks more than the line before until getting back to n asterisks. Spaces or something like spaces have to used to align the asterisks so that it really will look like an hourglass.

General rules:

• Trailing newlines are allowed but do not have to be used.
• indentation is a must.
• This is code-golf, so shortest answer in bytes wins.
• Since the course is taught in C++, I'm eager to see solutions in C++.

Test case (n=5):

*****
 ***
  *
 ***
*****