When a cold piece of metal is placed in a container of hot water, the most likely result is heat transfer from the hot water to the cold metal. This process will occur due to the second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat naturally flows from a hotter object to a cooler one until thermal equilibrium is reached.
As the metal absorbs heat, its temperature will begin to rise, while the temperature of the water will decrease slightly. The rate at which the heat transfer occurs will depend on factors such as the temperature difference between the metal and the water, the thermal conductivity of the metal, and the surface area of the metal in contact with the water. Over time, the metal will warm up, and the water will cool down, but the final temperatures will depend on the specific heat capacities of both the water and the metal as well as their masses.