zlacker

> you’d see them move closer because of tidal effects dictated by the fact that they’re each falling towards the earth’s centre of gravity, and therefore at (very slightly) different angles.

This point isn't raised anywhere because it's mostly a pedantic point that has nothing to do with the thought experiment. You shouldn't try and decompose thought experiments literally, otherwise you'll get caught up in unimportant details like this. Just assume the elevator is close enough to the earth such that the field lines are effectively parallel, or better yet, just pretend the elevator is in an infinite plate field.

>>anonyt+(OP)
But then again, realizing this problem with the thought experiment is a mark of a sophisticated student. This was the last question on my physics exam in 1991, and I still regret that I went with the simple explanation. I wonder whether the prof was looking for the students who really got it.