To represent the maximum number of snacks \( s \) that Emma can buy with her budget, you can set up the following inequality based on the information provided:
- Each snack costs $3, so if Emma buys \( s \) snacks, the total cost would be \( 3s \).
- Emma has no more than $18 to spend.
Putting these together, the inequality can be formulated as:
\[ 3s \leq 18 \]
To find the maximum number of snacks, we can solve this inequality for \( s \):
- Divide both sides by 3:
\[ s \leq \frac{18}{3} \] \[ s \leq 6 \]
So, the inequality \( 3s \leq 18 \) represents the maximum number of snacks \( s \) that Emma can buy, which is at most 6 snacks.