To write a function that describes the relationship between the square footage required to be covered in paint and the number of gallons of paint needed, we need to analyze the given information.
From the given information, we can observe that for every 10,000 square feet of drywall, Gloria needs 20 gallons of paint. This implies that for every 1,000 square feet, she requires 2 gallons of paint since 20 gallons can cover 10,000 square feet.
Based on this observation, we can write the following relationship:
- For every 1,000 square feet of drywall, Gloria needs 2 gallons of paint.
Now, let's write the function using this relationship. We can call the function "paintGallons".
```python
def paintGallons(squareFeet):
gallons = (squareFeet / 1000) * 2
return gallons
```
In this function, we divide the square footage by 1,000 to find the number of thousands of square feet. Then we multiply it by 2 to get the corresponding number of gallons needed.
So, if you want to find out how many gallons of paint to buy for a specific square footage, you can simply call the function "paintGallons" with the square footage as the input. The output of the function will give you the number of gallons to buy at the hardware store.