Abstract

If we understood the origin and nature of gravitational force, apparent paradoxes in relativity and cosmology would disappear. Recent experimental results show that gravity propagates much faster than light (Phys. Lett. A 250, #1-3, 1-11, 1999). This provides the first experimental distinction between special relativity (SR) and Lorentzian relativity (LR) in favor of the latter. The Global Positioning System (GPS) already makes full use of LR's universal simultaneity. This result also favors LeSage-type models for the nature of gravity over curved space-time models such as general relativity (GR). A LeSage model explains gravity as a vast sea of tiny, fast-moving entities (called classical "gravitons") that easily penetrate ordinary matter, even of planetary or stellar dimensions. Bodies feel an apparent force of attraction because they shadow one another from some graviton impacts. All classical and relativistic effects are readily understood in such a model, and have no paradoxical aspects. Differences between the Einstein and LeSage interpretations of gravity arise in four areas, each providing new insights into the operations of nature. Existing experimental data clearly favor the LeSage interpretation. A falsification test involving binary pulsars will soon be available.