The composition of gasoline can vary greatly due to the source, season, and costs of its components. Therefore, the gasoline quality can be reported to the user as an octane rating. The octane rating of a gasoline is a measure of how well the gasoline burns in a controllable manner. (It’s a little more complicated than that — see link, for example, for more information.) One can mix proportions of high and low octane gasoline to create a mid-range octane gasoline. For example, a 50% 90 octane, 50% 80 octane mix would create a 85 octane gasoline. As of Sept 9, 2020, the US national average for “regular” gasoline (87 octane) is $2.213/gallon, $2.556/gallon for “mid-grade” (89 octane) and $2.823/gallon for “premium” (92 octane). Instead of buying mid-grade gasoline, could you save money by blending a mixture of regular and premium gasoline? If so, how much ($/gallon)?
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