Octane rating
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An octane rating, or octane number, is a standard measure of a fuel's ability to withstand compression in an internal combustion engine without causing engine knocking. The higher the octane number, t
A US gasoline pump offering five different octane ratings
Gas stations have gasoline with different octane ratings. Higher numbers indicate that the fuel can better avoid unintended combustions within the cylinders of the engine.
A 1940s US propaganda poster using the term "octane" to emphasise power
Gasoline
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Gasoline or petrol is a petrochemical product, a transparent, yellowish and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. It is chemically composed of organic
Octane rating
…125 °C (260 °F). One member of the octane family, 2,2,4-Trimethylpentane (iso-octane), is used as a reference standard to benchmark the tendency of gasoline or LPG fuels to resist self-ignition. The octane rating of gasoline is measured in a test engine and is defined by comparison with the mixture of…
Gasoline in a glass jar
A pumpjack in the United States
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico
A Shell station in Hiroshima, Japan