Trevor and Joe were working together to finish a 500 piece puzzle. They put the border together first and that was 75 pieces. Trevor was able to place 105 pieces of the puzzle. Joe was able to place three times the number of puzzle pieces as Trevor. How many puzzle pieces are missing? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
The puzzle is 500 pieces and the border used 75 pieces so 500 - 75 = 425 pieces left. Joe placed three times as many puzzle pieces as Trevor who placed 105 so Joe placed 3 * 105 = 315 piece. Together Joe and Trevor placed 315 + 105 pieces for a total of 420 pieces. With the border down that left 425 pieces left and they put down 420 pieces so that meant 425 - 420 = 5 pieces were missing. So, the answer is 5.