How to demonstrate this meaning in a concise manner?

[alienpig]

Hello, I am long wondering how to demonstrate this meaning:
for example, there are four numbers, a, b, c and d, from the largest to the smallest: a, b, c, d.
How can I make my readers know this meaning without ambiguity in academic writing?
THX a lot!

[JTRiff]

A, the largest number, through D, the smallest.




not a teacher

[alienpig]

A, the largest number, through D, the smallest.




not a teacher

thank you. Humm..but it seems not suitable for academic writing

how about this:

the value decreases monotonically from A to D?

[Rover_KE]

Wow! Monotonically had me reaching for the dictionary.

1 Mathematics (of a function or quantity) varying in such a way that it either never decreases or never increases.

(WordReference dictionary.)

So that won't do, then.

How about 'There are four numbers - a, b, c and d, in decreasing order of magnitude.'

Rover

[Gillnetter]

Hello, I am long wondering how to demonstrate this meaning:
for example, there are four numbers, a, b, c and d, from the largest to the smallest: a, b, c, d.
How can I make my readers know this meaning without ambiguity in academic writing?
THX a lot!

Just as a side note - a, b, c, and d are not numbers. 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent numbers.