Good question - some would say that it was a singularity...
the singularity
The theory is called the Big Bang theory. It suggests that the universe began expanding from a very hot, dense state approximately 13.8 billion years ago.
Most scientists believe that an infinite dense singularity existed before the incident known as the Big Bang.
yes
Fred Hoyle was a proponent of the steady-state theory of the universe and was critical of the Big Bang theory. He famously likened the Big Bang theory to a "Big Bang" creation event and continued to advocate for his steady-state theory even after evidence supporting the Big Bang theory emerged.
the singularity
A singularity is a point in space-time in which matter and energy are infinitely dense, as at the center of a black hole or at the moment of the Big Bang.
The theory is called the Big Bang theory. It suggests that the universe began expanding from a very hot, dense state approximately 13.8 billion years ago.
Gravity. Note that mostly it wasn't all that dense.
Most scientists believe that an infinite dense singularity existed before the incident known as the Big Bang.
point is a point but point is a point
All matter. All the matter that exists emerged from the primordial cosmological state that we call the 'Big Bang'.
yes
Fred Hoyle was a proponent of the steady-state theory of the universe and was critical of the Big Bang theory. He famously likened the Big Bang theory to a "Big Bang" creation event and continued to advocate for his steady-state theory even after evidence supporting the Big Bang theory emerged.
We have no idea what it was that exploded in the Big Bang, but it probably was NOT "matter" in the sense that we think of now.
The "Big Bang" is a theoretical model to explain how the universe was formed. According to this theory, at one point in the far distant past, the universe was condensed into one infinitely small, yet infinitely dense point. Something (still the subject of debate) made this point, called a singularity, unstable and caused it to explode. When the theory was first suggested, "Big Bang" was applied in a derrogatory manner, however, it has since caught on and become the dominant title for this particular theory. Of course, having an "infinitely small" and "infinitely dense" anything is effectively meaningless and is still one of the largest criticisms levelled against it, however, there are no other models that explain the current state of the universe as well.
The part of the tambourine that you "bang on" is called a membrane.