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What is Meant By Descending Order?
Descending order is a mathematical notation indicating that an equation or a sequence of numbers is in a decreasing order. This notation is also used in computer programming languages to denote the order of operations.
Decreasing Order of Alphabets
The decreasing order of alphabets refers to the arrangement of letters in the alphabet from Z to A. For example, the following is a list of letters arranged in decreasing order:
Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A
The decreasing order of alphabets is often used when sorting lists of words alphabetically in reverse order. For example, a list of words might be sorted in decreasing order as follows:
Zebra Yellow Xylophone Wombat Violet Unicorn Tiger Snail Rabbit Quail Penguin Octopus Narwhal Mouse Lion Kangaroo Jaguar Iguana Hippopotamus Gorilla Flamingo Elephant Dolphin Crocodile Bear Ant
In this example, the words are arranged in decreasing order based on the first letter of each word. Words beginning with the letter Z appear at the top of the list, and words beginning with the letter A appear at the bottom of the list.
Descending Order Symbol
The greater than symbol (>) is also commonly used to indicate that a list or sequence of numbers is arranged in decreasing order.
For example, the following sequence of numbers is arranged in descending order:
8 > 5 > 3
In this example, the greater than symbol (>) is used to indicate that the numbers are arranged in decreasing order, with 8 being the largest number and 3 being the smallest.
The descending order symbol (^) and the greater than symbol (>) can be used interchangeably to indicate that a list or sequence of numbers is arranged in decreasing order.
