alt Hacker NewsIf I add water to a glass of whiskey and dilute it, why don't I get twice as drunk?
Replies
OutOfHere • today at 5:29 AM
Because the amount of total intoxicant is the same.
Let:
A = amount of ethanol
V = initial whiskey volume
W = added water
Initial concentration: c₁ = A / V
After dilution: c₂ = A / (V + W)
If you drink the entire diluted glass: ethanol consumed = c₂(V + W) = A
Intoxication ∝ ethanol consumed
Therefore: drunkenness ∝ A not ∝ (V + W)
Adding water changes concentration, not the total ethanol: A = constant ⇒ drunkenness = constant (ignoring effects of drinking rate).
But you can drink a lot more that way and get way more drunk!