Final answer:
The statement in question is false; reactants, not products, are combined to initiate a chemical reaction, subsequently producing new substances known as products.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'The products are the things that are mixed together to start a reaction' is false. The correct terms for the substances mixed together to start a reaction are reactants. Reactants are the initial substances that undergo changes during a chemical reaction, and their transformation leads to the formation of new substances called products.
Taking the example of baking cookies: Flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, salt, egg, and chocolate chips are the reactants. When these ingredients (reactants) are mixed in a mixing bowl (the reaction vessel), the result is baked cookies (the product). In the realm of chemistry, this analogy corresponds to reactants such as hydrogen and oxygen gases combining in a reaction vessel to create water, the product.
So, to summarize, reactants are the starting materials that interact during a chemical reaction to form products, which are the substances generated by the reaction.