Sunworshipper wrote:

then the ensuing stampedes of excited and scared molecules would run into
each other and generate even more heat than the observed phenomenon?

Yes, and the bar will melt in the middle!
With this trick you can melt the thickest rods just with two cigarette
lighters and two buckets of ice water.

Nick
--
Motormodelle / Engine Models:
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
Ellwe 2FB * VTM 87 * DLM-S3a * cubic
more to come ...