Question

for(i=-NUM; i<=NUM; i++) { for(j=-NUM; j<=NUM; j++) { if( abs(i)+abs(j)<=NUM) .
please explain the condition by assigning values for i and j.

Answer 1

So what did you have trouble with?

Answer 2

just wanted the explanation for printing the stars by putting different values in the for loop.

Answer 3

and i and j values for the if condition also.

Answer 4

hmm.. i'll take a shot at moving the conversation forward.

this looks like c++, yes? and some kind of iteration device? can you provide context? did you write this code? find it? what, more precisely, are you trying to learn?

Answer 5

It could also be Java. With printing stars, I am guessing this is one of those early assignments that does a pattern in the output.

The fragment is incomplete in any case, which makes it hard to say what it is doing and why. See, if I format it, I get this:

```
for(i=-NUM; i<=NUM; i++)
{
for(j=-NUM; j<=NUM; j++)
{
if(abs(i)+abs(j)<=NUM)
```

Answer 6

I played around with it in Java and fixed a few things to try to see if I could make it do anything interesting for the heck of it.

----

public class Star {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int NUM = 4;
for (int i = -NUM; i <= NUM; i++) {
for (int j = -NUM; j <= NUM; j++) {
if (Math.abs(i) + Math.abs(j) <= NUM) {
System.out.print("*");
}
}
System.out.println("");
}
}
}

----

That prints out something like:

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

----

And depending on what number you plug in for NUM, that will change it to create a larger or smaller thing like this. Kinda like pascal's triangle actually. Anyways, good luck figuring out what this question is really asking.

Answer 7

Math.abs(j) vs abs(j) Ah HA! Yah,m it would probably be C or C++ rather than Java. But they are close cousins, so hopefully that will show them what they need to do.