C++ has a datatype:  char

*   'f'

*   a single quote, a character, and a single quote

*   '\t' - a tab character

    '\n' - a newline character

    '\\' - a backslash character

    char answer;

    cout << "enter an initial: ";
    cin >> answer;

    char initial = 'T';   
    initial = 'T';


    '2'   "2"   2.0   2  

*   a ONE-DIMENSIONAL array...

    *   has ONE name

    *   in C++, all must be of the same TYPE

    *   and I can access individual elements within by INDEX (or by
        POSITION)

        ...where the FIRST thing has index ZERO (0)

    *   to declare an array named stuff with NUM_ELEMS things in it
        of type a_type,

        a_type stuff[NUM_ELEMS];

        const int NUM_STUDENTS = 30;
        int grades[NUM_STUDENTS];

        const int NUM_GERBILS = 45;
        double gerb_wts[NUM_GERBILS];


    *   what if I want to fill the gerb_wts array interactively?

        const int NUM_GERBILS = 45;
        double gerb_wts[NUM_GERBILS];
        int i = 0;
        double next_wt;

        while (i < NUM_GERBILS)
        {
            cout << "enter next gerbil weight: ";
            cin >> next_wt;

            gerb_wts[i] = next_wt;
            i = i + 1;             // i++; 
        }

        i = 0;
        while (i < NUM_GERBILS)
        {
            cout << gerb_wts[i] << endl;
            i = i+1;
        }

        i = 0;
        while (i < NUM_GERBILS)
        {
            gerb_wts[i] = gerb_wts[i] * 1.10;
            i = i + 1;
        }

*   a FOR loop is a convenience to make a count-controlled loop
    more bullet-proof....

    for (init_sttmt ; bool_expr ; update_sttmt )
    {
        sttmt;
    }

    for (i=0 ; i < NUM_GERBILS ; i = i+1)
    {
        gerb_wts[i] = gerb_wts[i] * 1.10;
    }

    for (int i=0 ; i < NUM_GERBILS ; i++ )
    {
        gerb_wts[i] = gerb_wts[i] * 1.10;
    }

*   simplest strings in C++ are arrays of type char...

    const int MAX_NAME_LENGTH = 15;
    char last_name[MAX_NAME_LENGTH];

    *   C++ (ANSI standard) has a standard string class library;

        #include <string>
        using namespace std;

        .... string first_name;


    *   ...but cin works better with arrays-of-char strings:

        cout << "type in a name: ";
        cin >> last_name;