Is there any way to experiment with the Bitcoin technology without having to buy actual bitcoins for use on the larger bitcoin network? So, I'm just a curious person at this point, I've only just decided to look into Bitcoin and see how it works and what it does. But I'm not sure if I want to try out things on the larger bitcoin network, where there's real money of real value at stake. Is there a way I can setup a local bitcoin "network", with its own blockchain, etc. for testing purposes?
Yes. You can run bitcoind in regtest mode. In that mode, you can produce your own "bitcoins" for testing purposes.