In order to do this, you have to use the Pythagorean Theorem which is a^2 +b^2=c^2 It does not matter in what order a and b are, but c is always the hypotenuse or the side across from the right angle. First, you substitute 24 in for a and 45 in for b so your equation so far would look like 24^2 + 45^2 = c^2 Then, you square 24 and 45 and get 576+2025=c^2 Then you add the two to get 2601=c^2 Finally, you would square root both sides and get 51=c So the width of the recycling bin is 51 inches long