Success has always been measured in inches. A few short inches can be the difference between a home run and a putout in a baseball game.

In the Olympics, the difference between winning the gold medal and finishing in the back of the pack is often measured in fractions.

If you hold your thumb and forefinger about 2-1/2 inches apart, you get an idea of what one-hundredth of a second translates to in a 100-meter race.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona a runner from Jamaica finished six one-hundredths of a second (or six thumb-and-fingers) behind the winner, for a fifth-place finish.

An American who crossed the line 2-1/2 inches in front of her closest opponent won the gold in that event. All this after 100 meters of electrifying speed meant only 15 inches or six one-hundredths of a second…