Simple C++ research project

I need you to develop some software for me. I would like this software to be developed for Windows using C or C++. This is a somewhat simple task. I am looking to compare different approaches to problem solving for a research paper I am writing about C++. It revolves around a simple programming problem and different methods by which it can be solved based on certain specifications. Therefore this project will need to follow specifications to the very last detail. It is common in programming courses to introduce some sort of managment system to teach students new methods and explore the language. But not all methods are as effective or as clean. What I am curious about is the end result in the program... If the code solves the task and is clean, it should be acceptable. Unfortunatley that is not the case, as I conducted interviews to many college students in a C++ course and although many could solve a problem they found they were "punished" for solving problems outside the box. Ex. Lower grade on assingment. I see this as something unfair and restraining students abilities when solving a problem. As they are taught to think in a certain way. For my study I have selected a programming problem and attempted to write and find various solutions to it. Based on small modifications to the specifications. But I have found that I can only think of so many ways to solve it, and others as well. So I am looking for more solutions for comparison. The project MUST be in C++ (NOT C) and follow OOP standards.