Paula caught a tarpon with a weight that was 11 times as great as the weight of a permit fish she caught. The total weight of the two fish was 168 pounds. How much did each fish weigh?

The permit fish weighed ___
pounds.

The tarpon weighed ___
pounds.

Okay so let’s say the permit fish is the variable p.
The tarpon is 11p.

So, to set up the equation,
(11p)+p=168
Start by combining like terms on the left
12p=168
Divide both sides by 12 to isolate p
p=14
So therefore, the permit fish was 14 pounds.

To find the weight of the tarpon, insert the 14 back into (11p) 11(14)=154.

You can check by adding these together 14+154=168

So:
The permit fish weighed 14 pounds.

The tarpon weighed 154 pounds.

Hope this helps!