Do my range/oven dials function like a 'dial' lightswitch? (noob Question)

The light dimmer and stove control work exactly the same way, basically. It's called "pulse width modulation" which is a fancy term for "turning it on and off quickly". A standard light dimmer does this 120 times per second, and some fancy ones do it a few thousand times per second. This is fast enough that the light does not flicker visibly, because the filament doesn't heat and cool that fast and if it did our eyes couldn't perceive it anyway. Some high quality stove controls also cycle 120 times per second, using the same electronics as a light dimmer but heavier-duty. Any of them that say "solid state" or are for a ceramic or infrared cooktop work this way. Old fashioned or cheap ones cycle once every few seconds using a mechanical device instead. Since the stove element takes much longer than that to heat and cool, the heat level remains stable. As with a light dimmer, the control is infinite - there are no "steps" and the numbers are just for your convenience.