Final answer:
The snail takes 3 minutes to reach a distance of 9 inches from the rock.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the time it takes for the snail to reach a distance of 9 inches from the rock, we can substitute d = 9 into the equation d = 3t. This gives us 9 = 3t. To solve for t, divide both sides of the equation by 3. We get t = 3, which means it takes the snail 3 minutes to reach a distance of 9 inches from the rock.