You should read The Perfectionists it's all about the history of precision measurement, telling stories centered around the 'leaps' (now able to measure to .1", now able to... etc.) and how it impacted the world.
Check out a book called “The Perfectionists”. It’s about the history of precision tools and things. Really interesting something we take for granted these days Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Perfectionists-Precision-Engineers-Created-Modern/dp/0062652559
Mr. Crabwaffleman, this isn't a stupid question at all. The concept/science of precision is an interesting subject worthy of a thorough answer.
I highly recommend reading/listening to: The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
If you’re interested in the history of precision, I highly recommend this book:
The Perfectionists by Simon Winchester.
It’s a fascinating read on how we got to where we are.
I just finished reading Simon Winchester's Perfectionists and he goes into great detail about the development of interchangeable parts for guns. He debunks the myth that Eli Whitney pioneered this field. I had an aha moment when he talked about lock, stock and barrel - a term we are all familiar with but I never put it together that is was describing the parts of a rifle.
The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World may be of interest to you.
There’s a really great book by Simon Winchester about basically this topic. Based on asking this question you’d probably enjoy the book a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/Perfectionists-Precision-Engineers-Created-Modern/dp/0062652559
I found this in the woods.. https://www.amazon.com/Perfectionists-Precision-Engineers-Created-Modern/dp/0062652559/