Why is it that in some states regular unleaded gasoline is marketed at 86 octane, but in Georgia regular unleaded is marketed at 87 octane? Also, why do Premium or Super unleaded ratings vary from 91 to 93 octane?
Regulations specify minimum octane levels for the various grades of gasoline with a minimum octane of 87 required for regular and 91 for super or premium. At their option, several petroleum companies and stations have elected to market 92 and 93 octane Premium unleaded.
How is it possible that the pump indicated I put 2.5 gallons into the 2-gallon can I use to store my lawnmower gas?
Although your container may state the capacity to be two gallons, most gasoline cans are designed with additional "airspace" for expansion and to avoid overflow spillage.
All five service stations in my neighborhood have gas at about the same prices. Do they set and hold prices as high as possible?
No, on the contrary. Typically the station selling at the lowest price will cause the other stations to reduce their prices in order to stay competitive.
Why do pumps at some stations record five or ten cents sold before I feel the hose vibrating or hear gasoline flowing through the hose?
Many dispensers are designed to start with a very low-pressure flow. After a second or two, product flow and hose pressures are increased. We check thousands of these pumps annually, and yes, you do get that nickel or dimes worth of gas.
What are the definitions of "tare, net and gross" as applied to package weight?
Tare indicates the actual weight of the package, box, or container. Net, which generally appears on all packaged commodities, indicates the actual weight of the product being purchased. Gross is the total weight ( tare plus net) of the package and contents combined.
How much firewood is contained in a cord?
A cord is defined as: "The amount of wood which is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet, when the wood is ranked and well stowed". Typically a cord will be stacked 4' high, by 8' wide, by 4' deep ( 4'x8'x4'= 128 cubic feet.).
I recently sold aluminum cans to a recycling center that advertised they were buying aluminum cans for 30ยข a pound. My cans weighed 50 pounds according to their scale, but they reduced my total weight by 10 pounds because my cans were dirty and wet. Is this practice of arbitrary weight reductions appropriate?
No, absolutely not! They may however, establish and post a specific buying price per pound for clean and dry cans, and then a lower price per pound for dirty and/or wet cans.
Please review the Fuel & Measures page for more information.