Maybe if you look at your first problem from a slightly different approach it might help you to understand the last few problems better.

Code:
 
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
	for(int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
	{
	    for(int j = i; j < 5; j++)
	    {
	        putchar('*'); 
	    }
	    printf("\n");
	}
	getchar();
	return 0; 
}
Your doing good so just keep working at it and you'll get it. These are always good teaching exercises so I would really like to see you get this on your own. Welcome to the boards.

P.S Just for future reference, this thread really should have gone on the C board, not the C++ board.