The speed of a photon through the qm is specified by the following equations where cag is the speed of a photon through the medium in units of ca, and is the photon’s distance in light-seconds (ls) from the center of a massive body, m, in kilograms.   G is the gravitational constant, which is 2.47·10^-36 ls³kg^-1s^-2 when is in ls units.

                    

     The second equation gives an approximate value for cag which is close to the exact value except when m is extremely massive and dense (e.g. neutron star). For our sun, which has a mass of about 2·10³⁰ kg, the first equation above gives cag=.999995786898 ca for a photon near the sun’s surface, and the second equation gives cag=.999995786885 ca. From these numbers, it is apparent that even large concentrations of mass/energy cause only small decreases in the speeds at which quanta of energy are propagated through the qm. It will become apparent that this is why gravity is a very weak force compared with the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces. It will also be apparent that gravity is not a fundamental force of nature, but rather a consequence of the qm.
     Within bodies located in the vicinity of the sun or other huge masses, the speeds of quanta of energy moving in the bodies are slowed and the rates of round-trip energy exchange within and between the atoms in the bodies are slowed. This has physical effects in the bodies which are similar to the effects of motion of bodies through the quantum medium.*
     As shown in the figure above, m1 results in a gradient of photon slowing in the vicinity of m2. The photon slowing is slightly greater on the side of m2 which is closest to m1. Due to this difference in the speed at which energy moves within m2, the rates of all natural processes such as the vibrations of atoms and the oscillation frequencies of photons emitted by atoms are slightly slower on the side of m2 closest to m1.
     We can determine the amount that the processes in a body such as m2 are slowed due to a large concentration of mass/energy such as m1. The physical change ratio (rg) for any physical system effected by a nearby concentration of mass/energy is the ratio of the rate of round-trip energy exchange in the system to the rate when the system is not effected by a concentration of mass/energy.** This ratio is determined via the following equation.

This equation is in agreement with experimental evidence. For example, it allows us to determine the difference in times kept by a clock at sea level on Earth and a clock at 3000 meters above sea level. For Earth, m in the above equation is about 5.98·10²⁴ kg and is about .02127 ls. These values result in rg=0.99999999930556. At 3000 m farther from Earth’s center, is .02128 ls and rg=0.99999999930589. Therefore, a clock at 3000 m above sea level runs at 1.00000000000033 times the rate of a clock at sea level because the rate of evolution of the mass/energy in the clock at 3000 m is faster than it would be at sea level.
     It is apparent from the above equations that cag and rg are closely related as follows.

Whereas cag tells us the speeds of quanta of energy moving through the qm influenced by photon-slowing concentrations of mass/energy, rg tells us the rates of physical processes compared to their rates in the absence of the concentrations of mass/energy. It tells us that the rates of processes in m2 are faster on the side of m2 away from m1 and slower on the side facing m1. On average, the photons that are emitted on the side away from m1 have slightly higher frequencies and energies than the photons that are emitted on the m1 side. Therefore, at any point within m2 the quanta of energy arriving from the direction of m1 will have slightly lower frequencies and energies than the quanta of energy arriving from the opposite direction. This situation is represented in the figure by the moving red dots in m2 which represent the lower-frequency, lower-energy quanta coming from the m1 direction. The moving blue dots represent higher-frequency, higher-energy quanta coming from the opposite direction. Every atom and constituent of an atom in m2 which is exchanging energy with its environment will absorb slightly more mass/energy from the direction opposite to m1. This imbalance in the mass/energy absorbed in m2 results in an overall force in m2 toward m1. In m1 a force in the opposite direction occurs for similar reasons.
     By using the above rg equation and assuming a mass for m1 and a distance between m1 and m2, we could calculate the imbalance in the frequencies and energies of quanta moving in m2 along a line to m1. We could also calculate the acceleration of m2 toward m1 that would be required to exactly offset the imbalance via Doppler effects due to the acceleration. This is done in the main document on this web site where it is shown that for a body in freefall above Earth the internal energy imbalance in the body due to Earth’s mass/energy is equal and opposite to the internal energy imbalance due to the body’s acceleration toward Earth at 9.8 m/s² -- which suggests that this view of gravity is correct. This analysis can be found by going to the home page of this web site and clicking on "To Contents" and then clicking on "Gradients of rg and physical causes of gravity."

* To understand why a system's motion through the qm slows the rate of round-trip energy exchange in the system and changes the standards of time, distance, and mass in the system, click on the "QM View 101" button on home page.

** The rg equation for the physical change ratio for a system in a photon-slowing environment is similar to the equation for the physical change ratio due to a system's absolute velocity, va, through the qm. This is explained in the main document on this web site.