In a parallel resistor network, the total resistance is typically:

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In a parallel resistor network, adding more paths for current to flow reduces the overall resistance. For a given voltage, the total current is the sum of the currents through each path, and since each path conducts proportional to V/R, more paths mean more total current at the same voltage. Mathematically, 1 over the total resistance equals the sum of 1 over each individual resistance, so the total resistance is always less than the smallest individual resistance (unless there’s only one path). For example, two equal resistors in parallel yield a total resistance of half of one resistor, clearly showing it’s smaller than either one.

That’s why the total resistance is typically less than the smallest resistor. It’s not greater than the largest, not the sum, and not the average, which would describe different circuit configurations or averages rather than parallel behavior.