🐍 Python Pattern Challenge — Day 9

Pattern printing is a great way to strengthen your Python logic, loops, conditions, and problem-solving skills. Today’s challenge is a little different from the previous patterns. We’ll create a unique hourglass-style star pattern by changing the number of stars across different rows.

The key is to understand how the number of stars can decrease, increase, and repeat in a controlled sequence.

Today's Challenge

Write a Python program to print:

Best and cleanest code will be rewarded! 🏆

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Solution 1 — Using a for Loop

rows = [5, 3, 1, 3, 5, 3, 1, 3, 5]

for stars in rows:
    spaces = (5 - stars) // 2
    print("  " * spaces + "* " * stars)

How it works:

The important part is the list:

[5, 3, 1, 3, 5, 3, 1, 3, 5]

It controls how many stars appear in each row.

The pattern follows:

5 → 3 → 1 → 3 → 5 → 3 → 1 → 3 → 5

Then:

spaces = (5 - stars) // 2

calculates how much indentation is required before printing the stars.

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Solution 2 — Using Nested Loops

rows = [5, 3, 1, 3, 5, 3, 1, 3, 5]

for stars in rows:
    spaces = (5 - stars) // 2

    for _ in range(spaces):
        print("  ", end="")

    for _ in range(stars):
        print("*", end=" ")

    print()

How it works:

Here, nested loops separately control the two parts:

• First loop → creates the leading spaces.
• Second loop → prints the required number of *.
• Outer loop → moves through the pattern sequence.

This makes the relationship between spaces, stars, and rows easier to understand.

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Solution 3 — Using a Pattern Formula

Instead of manually writing every row, we can generate the sequence using a repeating pattern.

pattern = [5, 3, 1]

for block in range(3):
    for stars in pattern:
        spaces = (5 - stars) // 2
        print("  " * spaces + "* " * stars)

How it works:

The pattern:

[5, 3, 1]

is repeated three times.

The outer loop:

for block in range(3):

controls the number of repetitions.

This makes the code more structured and reusable.

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⚡ Short & Clean Code

for s in [5,3,1,3,5,3,1,3,5]:
    print("  "*((5-s)//2) + "* "*s)

🔥 A single loop is enough to generate the complete pattern!

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🚀 Challenge Yourself

Can you modify this pattern:

• Replace * with numbers?
• Take the maximum width using input()?
• Generate the sequence without manually writing the list?
• Use a while loop?
• Create a similar pattern using letters?
• Solve it using the shortest possible Python code?

Drop your solution below! 👇

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