Martini's Law states that for every 50 feet of descent a diver will experience the intoxicating effects of one dry martini due to increasing nitrogen narcosis.

Martini's Law is strange in that unlike Boyle's law or Chargaff's Law it is not named after the person who discovered it or the phenomenon itself but for an alcoholic beverage which produces similar effects to deep diving.

In this case "law" is also a misnomer, it is really just a rule of thumb and as such many variations abound. Some state that the ratio of depth to martini is 33:1, some state the law does not come into effect until the diver has passed the initial 50 feet. In truth the effects of nitrogen narcosis vary from person to person but the cautionary imperative is the same, the further you descend the more firmly you must guard against falling into "the rapture of the deep."

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.