Photography Lighting Help?

[jake r]

Can anyone please tell me how strobes work in studio photography. I'd really like to learn basic studio lighting setup but im totally clueless with regards to that matter. What are those lights attached to an umbrella or softboxes? are they lights to brighten up the subject or they also work as flash? do u need to use a flash when using those lights? Im looking at videos of studio photography and im really confused where the flash is coming from, i mean, where do u position the flash? i see radio transmitter attached to the camera to trigger the flash but i cant figure out where the flash is coming from. Correct me if im wrong but i think the flash is coming from the umbrella or the soft box, but how does that work? is there a separate flash and a separate light to illuminate the subject on a single strobe unit? im really confused, i'd really appreciate your help, thanks!