Final answer:
The relationship between the number of jellyfish and sea turtles can be represented using the equation j = 3t, where j is the number of jellyfish and t is the number of sea turtles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The relationship between the number of sea turtles and jellyfish can be represented using a ratio. In this case, the ratio of jellyfish to sea turtles is 12:4, which can be simplified to 3:1. This means that for every 3 jellyfish, there is 1 sea turtle.
To model this relationship using an equation, let's use the variable j to represent the number of jellyfish and t to represent the number of sea turtles. The equation that models this relationship is: j = 3t.
So, if Alex saw 12 jellyfish, we can substitute j with 12 in the equation to find the number of sea turtles: 12 = 3t. Solving for t, we get t = 4. Therefore, Alex saw 4 sea turtles.