a fisherman catches 2 fish the amberjack weighs 3 times as much as the snapper, altogether the fish weigh 44 pounds how much does the snapper weigh.

Because of the fact that the amberjack is essentially three snappers, it can be shown as 3s

since one snapper is one s, and the amberjack is 3s, we can combine like terms

s+3s = 4s

because altogether, the fish weigh 44 pounds, 4s would equal 44 (shown as 4s = 44), from there, simply divide by 4 on both sides to get the weight of a snapper;

s = 11

Small bonus (finding an amberjack)

Since an amberjack is equal to three snappers, and a snapper is 11 pounds, an amberjack would be 33 pounds.