Why is the concept of gravity so difficult to pin down? It seems obvious? An experience of the effects of gravity would seem to be common to us all. Yet early civilisations, such as the Babylonians, Indians, Egyptians and Zoroastrians, seemed to have taken gravitational effects for granted, focussing more on astronomy. Subsequent scholars, looked more closely, but came up with very different explanations! Is gravity a natural property of heavy objects, an occult and absurd force acting at a distance, curvature of spacetime or the exchange of gauge bosons or of closed strings? Or is it all of the above? This group will meet fortnightly and individuals will read and review relevant papers, books or websites of their own choice and report back at subsequent meetings. A modest background in mathematics or physics would be helpful, but numeracy is a must. However, above all, an enthusiasm for mathematical physics would be sufficient. Dates: 17, 31 Oct. 7, 21 Nov. 5 Dec.