What command sorts a file numerically from top to bottom?

The command that sorts a file numerically from top to bottom is indeed the command with the option "-n". When using "sort -n", the sorting algorithm processes the input by interpreting the contents of the file as numbers rather than as text. This means it accurately sorts numerical values in ascending order, which is particularly important for data that can contain different digit lengths. For example, when sorting the numbers 10, 2, and 1, the "-n" option ensures that they are sorted as 1, 2, and 10, rather than the incorrect alphabetical order of 1, 10, and 2.

In contrast, using "sort" without any options will sort the contents lexicographically, which treats all data as strings and does not handle numerical sorting correctly. The option "-r" performs a reverse sort, but it does not address numerical ordering directly. The command "cat" is used to concatenate and display file contents and does not perform any sorting operations. This distinction highlights the importance of using the correct option to achieve the desired numerical sorting effect.