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> Turns out at that scale metal behaves like a liquid.

From xkcd:

> On that scale, the polymers in the bowling ball would behave more like a liquid

So polymers, not metal.



Then again, I've seen it repeated (though would appreciate someone backing it up with a citation) that on planetary scales, everything behaves like a high-viscosity liquid. That was in context of modeling e.g. moons hitting planets.


Isn't that part of the definition of a planet? ie. that it flows into a spherical shape?


It seems to be, yes. [0] cites IAU definition, which mentions "hydrostatic equilibrium", suggesting at this level things are viewed through the lens of fluid mechanics.

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[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet#2006_IAU_definition_of_...




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