1) Congruent and similar triangles can be used to simplify design and calculations. Congruent triangles have equal sides and angles, while similar triangles have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
2) Corresponding sides and angles of similar triangles have the same ratios. Ratios can be used to determine unknown side lengths.
3) Triangles are similar if two angles are congruent (AA similarity) or if all three sides are proportional (SSS similarity).