While not
commonly heard of, the
Rule of
Three is a standard of measurement to determine how long a
person can
live under certain
circumstances. This rule is used mainly in
forensics and for
military purposes. Basically, the purpose of the rule is to set a general guideline as to how long a person can survive without
Air,
Water, &
Food and
derived its name from the
abundance of threes in the
results.
Averages:
- Air = 3 Minutes
- Water = 3 Days
- Food = 3 Weeks
The rule regarding water is based on a person that is fully
hydrated at the beginning of
deprivation. If you are already dehydrated the time to live will be
increasingly shorter. It is also important to note that in cooler
temperatures the time to live will be closer to 4 days due to a reduction in body
perspiration.
I hope never to find myself in a situation where I need to know this, and hope the same goes for you. I do know that in certain military situations this information is used to allow a
soldier to
prioritize his/her objectives when stranded or in a situation without food and water.