Ordering of numbers

Ascending Orders / Increasing Orders Ascending

order means to arrange numbers in increasing
order, that is, from smallest to largest. 
 Arranging numbers in ascending order:

• Count the number of digits in each number. The number with

the least number of digits is the smallest. Write it first.  Continue
this till all the numbers left for comparison have the same
number of digits.

• For the numbers having the same number of digits, start with
comparing the numbers from the leftmost digit. Write the
number with the smallest digit.

• If the leftmost digits are same, move to the digits to the right
and compare them. Write the number with smaller digit.

• Continue doing this with the remaining numbers till we arrange

all the numbers. 
 Example: Arrange 22554, 231, 22, 245, 22354 in ascending order.

• The number 22 has the least number of digits. So, write it first as it is the smallest
number.
 

• Next, 231 and 245 both are 3-digit numbers. They both have 2 at hundreds place. So, we
move to the digit to the right. Compare 231 and 245        Since, 3 < 4;  So, 231 < 245

• Next, compare 22554 and 22354 as both have 5 digits. On comparing,

22554 and 22354, we find 3 < 5
• So, 22354 < 22554
 
•  

•  
• We can then also arrange the numbers on the
number line as shown:

• Fun Facts
• To remember ascending order, remember the
flight of an “airplane”, from low to high.
 Descending Orders / Decreasing Orders

• Arranging the numbers from greatest to the

smallest is known as decreasing order or
descending order.
• Descending can also be thought of as climbing
down the stairs of numbers starting from the
highest value
• Rules of Descending Order 
• Writing numbers in descending order do not
always involve subtracting 1 from the larger
numbers; rather, descending order can be
done in the following manner: 
• Always start with the largest number
• Always ensure that the numbers are in order
from largest to smallest
• Always end with the smallest number
• Example
• Put the numbers in descending order.
• 469 541 931 518
•  Answer
• Look at the hundreds place first.
• 931 is the biggest because it has the largest hundreds
digit.
•  Next we compare 541 and 518.  
• They both have a 5 in the hundreds place, so we look
at the tens place and see that 541 is larger than 518.
• 469 is the smallest because 469 has the smallest
hundreds digit.
•  
 In descending order the numbers go:

• 1 . 2 . 3 . 4.
• 931 541 518 469
 Formation of Greatest and Smallest Numbers

• In formation of greatest and smallest numbers we know

the procedure of arranging the numbers in ascending
and descending order.
Greatest Number
• In order to make greatest number from the given
numbers, arrange the digits in descending order. In case
there are two equal digits, write them at consecutive
places.
• For example: greatest 4 digit number using the digits 7,
7, 0, and 8
• Descending order of the given digits is 8, 7, 7, 0
• So, greatest 4 digit number with the given digits is 87,70
 Smallest Number

• In order to make smallest number from given

numbers we will first arrange the digits in
ascending order. We will start with digit other than
0 and write the 0 in second place. In case two
digits are equal, write them at consecutive places.
• For example: smallest 4 digit number using digits
9, 0, 6, 1
• Ascending order of the given digits is 1, 0, 6, 9
• So, smallest 4 digit number with the given digits
is 10,69