Something we’ve heard over the ages: High-octane fuel actually burns slower than regular-grade fuel. Is that true? Are we choosing the wrong pump? To find out what the science says, we asked an actual scientist.
Gasoline is made up of many different components, notes Zachary J. Santner…
I taught high school Power Technology for 30 years. To get the kids into the grove, the first day assigment was to look up "octane" and what does it mean. 99% of them guessed and said "burns faster". Used to stand in front of them and pretend I was in a cylinder with exploding gas. Slaming a book on the table made a terrible noise and woke them up. Told them gas under compression does not burn like that, but starts slowly into a crescendo. It was fun till one day in the late 90s, a student read his homework with the perfect answer. I was really amazed and asked , where he found it. He said on the World the World Wide Webb. I said what? Things sure change fast.
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