". . . i started at 3.8 (lowest) and went to 32 (highest), and each time the picture got darker and darker... that leads me to think that the higher the stop, the less amount of light allowed in... correct? . . ."

RH,

If you're just figuring this out after playing with cameras for years, you're still on page one of basic photography. Check with shops as well as your community college for a one or two-day photography class or workshop. They will teach you more than you've taught yourself in the last 10 years or more.