// Zorah Fung, CSE 143
// This program prints out various number of stars using
// both iterative and recursive solutions to the problem

public class Stars {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        writeStars(3);
        writeStars(15);

        writeStars(0); // edge case
    }

    // Prints a line containing the given number of stars.
    // Precondition: n >= 0
    public static void writeStars(int n) {
        if (n == 0) {
            // base case (simplest instance of the problem)
            System.out.println();
        } else {
            // recursive case
            System.out.print("*"); // smallest piece of the problem
            writeStars(n - 1); // solve a smaller problem
        }

        /*
         * It can be useful to write out specific cases to see the pattern for
         * the recursive case
         * 
         * else if (n == 2) {
         *     System.out.print("*");
         *     writeStars(1);
         * } else if (n == 3) {
         *     System.out.print("*");
         *     writeStars(2);
         * }
         */
    }

    // Prints a line containing the given number of stars.
    // Precondition: n >= 0
    public static void writeStars2(int n) {
        // The iterative solution we're used to
        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            System.out.print("*");
        }
        System.out.println();
    }

    // Prints a line containing the given number of stars.
    // Precondition: n >= 0
    public static void writeStars3(int n) {
        // An alternate iterative solution where the similarities
        // to recursion can be seen more easily       
        while (n > 0) { // "recursive" case
            System.out.print("*"); // smallest piece of the problem
            n--; // make the problem smaller
        }
        // assertion: n == 0
        System.out.println(); // base case
    }
}