Electric Kitchen Range How does the knobs for the burners control the electric to the burner element?

AC being unlike DC I would like to understand what is going on when I move the knob on my kitchen range to control the burner temp. With DC something like this would be to use resistance to control the burner but this is AC.Electric Kitchen Range How does the knobs for the burners control the electric to the burner element?
It is the same the burner it a big resister and when you turn the knob it controls how much voltage goes through it and how much heat is given off.Electric Kitchen Range How does the knobs for the burners control the electric to the burner element?
It is a thermostat. Turns the burner on and off to control temperature. If you get something barely simmering you can actually see the heat coming and going. And, on some ranges at least, you can even hear an audible click when it turns on or off.





Bert
It depends on the stove. On all of the exposed elements (pan sits directly on them) that I have seen the knob controls how much voltage and thus current and thus the heat. However, on my new flat top electric stove where the element is embedded in the top, the burner cycles on and off, so there the knob is controlling the time that current is flowing and thus the heat.
The element or burner is the resistance. It's the level of resistance is what produces the heat. You cannot change that so the only way you can control the amount of heat coming from the burner is to switch the power off and on. The knob does that by changing the length of time the power is on or off to the burner. If the knob is turned to HIGH the power is switched on continuously and as you turn it towards LOW, the length of time the power is delivered to the burner is reduced. The knob is just a timer, switching off and on at different intervals.