Final answer:
The term that defines how characters relate to each other when they are compared is option c). collating sequence.
Step-by-step explanation:
A collating sequence defines how characters relate to each other when they are compared. It determines the order in which characters are sorted in different applications and systems.
For example, in a collating sequence, the character 'A' may be considered before 'B'. In the context of computer data, a collating sequence is important for sorting and searching data.
It helps determine the order in which characters or words should appear. This is useful in various applications, such as organizing files or generating alphabetical lists.
An example of a collating sequence is the ASCII collating sequence which assigns a unique numerical value to each character, allowing them to be compared and sorted by their numerical values.