gen-explain-congruence-criteria-as-you-would-to-a-capable-studen-b2ec

Explain congruence criteria as you would to a capable student, in 3-4 sentences.

Congruence criteria are rules that tell us when two triangles are guaranteed to be exactly the same shape and size (congruent) without having to check all six pairs of corresponding parts. The main criteria are: **SSS** (three pairs of equal sides), **SAS** (two pairs of equal sides with the included angle equal), **ASA** (two pairs of equal angles with the included side equal), and **AAS** (two pairs of equal angles with a non-included side equal). There's also **RHS** (right angle-hypotenuse-side) for right triangles specifically. These shortcuts work because once certain combinations of parts match, the remaining parts are forced to match too—it's mathematically impossible for the triangles to be different.