One inch is a unit of length in the imperial system, commonly used in the United States and other countries. It is equal to 1/12 of a foot and is equivalent to 2.54 centimeters in the metric system. Inches are often used to measure small distances, such as the height of a person or the dimensions of an object. In everyday life, you might encounter inches when measuring items like a piece of paper or the size of a screen. For example, a standard sheet of paper is 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches long. Understanding inches is helpful for tasks like home improvement and crafting.