What do people mean when they say that a giant monster like Godzilla would “collapse under the weight of itself?”

Question

Wouldn’t a monster that big have extra large bones and muscles to support all that mass?

In: 1458

Answer 1

If you make a stick twice as *long*, it won’t be any stronger. Right? If anything it’s weaker because you can get better leverage on it now.

The stick’s strength depends on its thickness, not its length. However, a stick’s weight scales with its height *and* thickness. So, sure, it’s getting thicker, making it stronger *and* heavier, but it’s also getting *longer* and that *just* makes it heavier. While it gets a bit stronger, it gets heavier *more* than it gets stronger.

There’s a more rigorous mathematical proof of this, but that’s the gist.