Calculate the Average of 5,3,7,5: Analyzing Changes with Lower Numbers

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

• Step 1: Calculate the sum of the numbers in the group.
• Step 2: Apply the formula for the average.
• Step 3: Determine how adding a smaller number affects the average.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: Calculate the sum of the given numbers.
The numbers are $5, 3, 7, 5$. Their sum is:

$5 + 3 + 7 + 5 = 20$.

Step 2: Find the average.
The formula for the average of these numbers is:

$\text{Average} = \frac{\text{Sum of numbers}}{\text{Count of numbers}} = \frac{20}{4} = 5$.

Therefore, the average of the numbers $5, 3, 7, 5$ is $5$.

Step 3: Determine the effect of adding a smaller number.
If we add a number smaller than $5$ to the group, the new average will be calculated over five numbers with the new sum including this smaller number. Since this number is smaller than the current average, the overall average will decrease.

Hence, the correct answer to this problem is:
Average: 5

The average will decrease.