Calculate Snail's Daily Distance: 3 Days, 40 Meters Back

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

• Step 1: Define the distance the snail travels each time as a variable.
• Step 2: Set up an algebraic equation reflecting the snail's total movement.
• Step 3: Solve the equation for the unknown variable.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: Let $x$ represent the length of each set distance.
Step 2: The total forward distance over the first two days is $3x + 5x = 8x$.
The backward movement on the third day is 40 meters.
Since the snail ends up at the starting point, the equation is $8x = 40$.
Step 3: Solve for $x$:
$8x = 40 \implies x = \frac{40}{8} = 5$

Therefore, the solution to the problem is $x = 5$ meters.