Quarks were formed during inflation in the big bang. The smallest amount of time we can extrapolate back towards the big bang to is 10^-43 seconds, where it is thought the temperature was 10^32 and a density that is not describable. So during this time, it is thought there is only one force; a combination of four forces.

 

So the question is, where did the forces come from? Where did matter and temperature come from?

 

Is this unknown unless you invoke M theory or the uncertainty principle?

 

Also can someone explain the uncertainty principle. Does nothing mean absolute nothing? Or does nothing mean not matter but forces and vacuum?

So the question is, where did the forces come from?

 

The unified theory of the forces will have a gauge symmetry that "contains" the symmetries of the known four forces. As the universe cools these symmetries are broken and the forces start to "separate".

 

A less speculative theory that has this feature is the electoweak interaction. Here we have the group [math]SU(2) \times U(1)[/math] being broken via the Higgs mechanism to [math]U(1)[/math].

 

 

Is this unknown unless you invoke M theory or the uncertainty principle?

 

M-theory is not at a stage where it can answer the details of any proposed unification scheme.

 

Also can someone explain the uncertainty principle.

 

In words the uncertainty principle states that "for certain pairs of observables one cannot know exactly the expectation value of both observables simultaneously ". Mathematically this is equivalent to the corresponding operators not commuting.

 

Have a look at the Wikipedia article.