Watching A Red-Hot Chunk Of Metal Sink Through Lake Ice Is Surprisingly Entertaining

Do you ever wonder how many scientific experiments have occurred over the years just to see what would happen? "What if" is one of the most powerful pairs of words we can ever utter. They lead us down the strangest rabbit holes and into uncharted territory, and better still, they're the beginning of learning. And you almost always get a good story in the end. 

One of the best things about the 21st century media landscape is that so many of those "what if" scenarios can be easily filmed and shown around. For example, what if you put a large, red-hot chunk of metal onto the surface of a long-frozen lake? Let's find out!

The folks known best for their hydraulic press videos have taken things outdoors for a test to see if a red-hot chunk of metal can sink all the way through thick lake ice.

It's an interesting question – will the ice cool off the metal first, or will the extreme heat of the metal melt and boil everything in its path?

It doesn't take long for the battle to begin, and although it goes slowly, the metal clearly makes headway, quickly turning the ice into a steaming, boiling mess.

But the lake ice has had months to freeze, and it's seriously thick. Even when the chunk of metal is fully submerged, you have to wonder if it will make it all the way through because now it's getting the full cooling effect of the water it has melted. Mind you, the water is still quite warm to the touch, as the hosts discover.

When the water stops bubbling, an underwater camera shows that the metal has almost made it all the way through.

It wouldn't take much to send it plunging into the depths – just a little wiggling with the rod the host happens to have for just such an occasion.

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