The sum of two numbers is thirty seven the greater number is 5 more than three times the lesser number what is the lesser of the two numbers?

Let the lesser number be ( x ). According to the problem, the greater number can be expressed as ( 3x + 5 ). The sum of the two numbers is given by the equation ( x + (3x + 5) = 37 ). Solving this, we get ( 4x + 5 = 37 ), which simplifies to ( 4x = 32 ) and thus ( x = 8 ). Therefore, the lesser number is 8.