The Big Bang symbolizes the instant the universe began, when time and space came into existence and all matter in the cosmos launched into expansion. Prior to this all four fundamental forces (gravity, electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces) were combined. The explosion was one of space within itself. It was not like the explosion of a bomb where fragments are thrown outward (LaRocco 1). The galaxies were not clumped together. During the first second or so of the universe large amounts of energy, known as photons, smashed together and changed their energy into mass. This caused the four forces to split into their separate identities. As the universe continued to cool, protons and neutrons combined to form helium and other light