A list is an ordered collection of items stored in a single variable. Think of it like a numbered container where each slot holds a value. You create a list using square brackets, with items separated by commas: scores = [85, 92, 78, 90].
Lists can hold any type: numbers, strings, booleans, even other lists. They can also mix types: mixed = [42, "hello", True, 3.14]. The order matters.
Items stay in the position where you put them. Lists are mutable, meaning you can change their contents after creation. This flexibility makes lists the go-to structure for storing collections of data in Python.