Number of sequences of the form $x_1x_3x_5$ 
Find the number of sequences containing $5$ distinct terms $x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4,x_5$ from the set $A=\left\{1,2,3,4....20\right\}$ such that $x_1<x_2>x_3<x_4>x_5$.

My try:
The total number of sequences with $5$ distinct terms is $5!\times \binom{20}{5}$, among which there are $\binom{20}{5}$ strictly increasing sequences and $\binom{20}{5}$ strictly decreasing sequences. But now I am stuck in finding the sequences with $x_1<x_2>x_3<x_4>x_5$ among $5!\times \binom{20}{5}-2\times \binom{20}{5}$

Note that for any set of five distinct numbers, the number of ways of arranging them so that they satisfy the given condition must be the same as for any other five distinct numbers. Thus we really only need to count the number of ways of ordering $\{1,2,3,4,5\}$ to satisfy the given condition.
Note that $5$ has to be either $x_2$ or $x_4$; note also that whichever of $x_2$ or $x_4$ is not $5$, it will have to be either $3$ or $4$.
Suppose $(x_2, x_4) \in \{(4,5),(5,4)\}$; in each case, there are $3!$ ways of arranging the other three numbers. Now suppose $(x_2, x_4) \in \{(3,5),(5,3)\}$; then the $4$ has to go in the outside position next to the position containing the $5$, which leaves $2!$ ways of arranging the other numbers.
Thus the number of arrangements of $\{1,2,3,4,5\}$ satisfying the given condition is $2 \cdot 3! + 2 \cdot 2! = 16$. But then the number of ways of sequences from $\{1,2,3,4,...,20\}$ satisfying the condition will just be
$$16 \binom{20}{5} = \boxed{248,064}$$
