Ascending order is an arrangement of numbers from least to greatest.
Descending order is an arrangement of numbers from greatest to least.
The numbers can be put in order from least to greatest or vice versa.
The following numbers are in ascending order:
-13, -7, 0, 2, 4, 10, 52, 127
The following numbers are in descending order:
127, 52, 10, 4, 2, 0, -7, -12
It is also possible to indicate the relationship between two numbers using symbols:
-
The symbol < (less than) means that the number to the left of the sign is smaller than the one to the right.
-
The symbol > (greater than) means that the number to the left of the sign is greater than the one to the right.
Imagine the mouth of a crocodile. The crocodile will want to eat the larger number. Thus, the opening of the symbol always points towards the larger number.
For examples of comparing numbers, see the following concept sheets: