“The experts always told us it would be better to have one big rock hit us than a million smaller ones”
I’d not heard that before but I’d rather be hit by 10 pounds of gravel than a 10 pound boulder.
If either is traveling at 10K mph it probably doesn't make much difference in space. You're either instant Swiss cheese or instant soup. If there's a nice blanket of atmosphere to burn through before it hits you, then definitely the gravel is the better option.