  The Equivalence Principle (EP) is at the heart of General Relativity (GR),
tested in many aspects. It is often used to discuss qualitatively the influence
of gravity on physical phenomena. But can this be made more precise? We compare
clock rates, frequency shifts, light deflection and time delay in simple static
spacetimes to the analogous phenomena seen by accelerated observers in
Minkowski space. In contrast to previous studies, we do not assume that the
gravitational field is weak and see, as we proceed, how the field is
constrained by the EP. Special care is taken that results are only observer-,
but not coordinate-dependent. By this we clarify some of the issues raised in
the literature and show which gravitational effects can and which cannot be
simulated by acceleration. The paper may also serve as a contribution for
critical discussions on the implications of the EP.
