**Abstract**

The relationship of gravity and inertia has been an issue in physics since Einstein, acting on an observation of Ernst Mach that rotations take place with respect to the "fixed stars", advanced the Equivalence Principle (EP). The EP is the assertion that the forces that arise in proper accelerations are indistinguishable from gravitational forces unless one checks ones circumstances in relation to distant matter in the universe (the fixed stars). By 1912, Einstein had settled on the idea that inertial phenomena, in particular, inertial forces should be a consequence of inductive gravitational effects. About 1960, five years after Einstein's death, Carl Brans pointed out that Einstein had been mistaken in his "spectator matter" argument. He inferred that the EP prohibits the gravitational induction of inertia. I argue that while Brans' argument is correct, the inference that inertia is not an inductive gravitational effect is not correct. If inertial forces are gravitationally induced, it should be possible to generate transient gravitational forces of practical levels in the laboratory. I present results of a experiment designed to produce such forces for propulsive purposes.

**Keywords:** gravity, inertia, general relativity, inertia as a gravitationally induced phenomenon, experimental test of inductive inertia
