Question

The Pappas family has two cats, Zeus and Athena. Together they weigh nine pounds. Zeus weighs 3 pounds less than Athena. How much does Athena weigh?

Answer 1

X + (X-3) = 9
2X -3 = 9
2X = 12
X = 6


X-3 = ?
6-3 = 3

One cat weighs 6 lbs and one weighs 3 lbs for total of 9 lbs. Athena weighs 6 lbs.

Answer 2

Athena weighs 6 pounds. (Zeus weighs 3 pounds).

Explanation:

We know that A (Athena) + Z (Zeus) = 9. And we know that Zeus weighs three pounds less than Athena. Knowing this we can do
1 + 8 = 9
2 + 7 = 9
3 + 6 = 9
We can see that 6 and 3 equal 9 and 6 is 3 away from 3, getting us the answer that Athena weighs 6 pounds. :) I hope this helps! ^^