Final answer:
The equation that relates the cost of fish to the pounds of fish being purchased, given Molly's transaction, is c = 2.40p, which means the cost (c) is $2.40 times the number of pounds (p).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question requires us to write an equation that relates the cost (c) of fish to the pounds (p) of fish being purchased. Molly bought 4.25 pounds of fish for $10.20. To find the price per pound, we can divide the total cost by the number of pounds:
c = $10.20 / 4.25
Following this, the equation representing the cost as a function of pounds can be c = 2.40p, which means the price is $2.40 per pound of fish.
This calculation does not consider the given information that the original equilibrium price is $3.25 per pound, which is a detail relevant to the overall understanding of fish market pricing but not necessary for answering this specific mathematics question.