C Programs

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Loop Programs in C

Print Inverted Half Pyramid (Reversed Star Pattern)

Introduction

The Inverted Half Pyramid (or reversed right-angled triangle) pattern is a simple yet classic program that helps understand nested loops.
It prints stars (*) in decreasing order — starting with the maximum number in the first row and reducing one star per row.

C Program: Print Inverted Half Pyramid (Reversed Star Pattern)

Method 1: Using for loop

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main() {
    int n;
    printf("Enter number of rows: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);
 
    for (int i = n; i >= 1; i--) {
        for (int j = 1; j <= i; j++) {
            printf("*");
        }
        printf("\n");
    }
 
    return 0;
}

 
OUTPUT :
Enter number of rows: 5
*****
****
***
**
*

Explanation

• The outer for loop runs from n to 1, decreasing by 1 each time.
• The inner for loop prints stars (*) equal to the current row number i.
• The result is an inverted triangle pattern.

C Program: Print Inverted Half Pyramid (Reversed Star Pattern)

Method 2: Using while loop

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main() {
    int n, i = 0, j;
    printf("Enter number of rows: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);
 
    i = n;
    while (i >= 1) {
        j = 1;
        while (j <= i) {
            printf("*");
            j++;
        }
        printf("\n");
        i--;
    }
 
    return 0;
}

 
OUTPUT :
Enter number of rows: 5
*****
****
***
**
*

Explanation

• The outer while loop starts from n and decrements i until 1.
• The inner loop prints stars corresponding to each row.
• It continues until all rows are printed in decreasing order.

C Program: Print Inverted Half Pyramid (Reversed Star Pattern)

Method 3: Using do..while loop

#include <stdio.h>
 
int main() {
    int n, i = 1, j;
    printf("Enter number of rows: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);
 
    i = n;
    do {
        j = 1;
        do {
            printf("*");
            j++;
        } while (j <= i);
 
        printf("\n");
        i--;
    } while (i >= 1);
 
    return 0;
}
  

 
OUTPUT :
Enter number of rows: 5
*****
****
***
**
*

Explanation

• The outer ..while loop runs for each row.
• The inner loop prints stars according to the row count.
• Since ..while ensures execution at least once, it correctly handles cases like n = 1.