Instead of creating separate variables for many values, you can use a list to store them all together.

In Python, a list is an ordered and flexible structure built into the language. It's one of the most commonly used data types for grouping multiple values.

Creating a List

Lists are defined with square brackets, separating items by commas: [1, 2, 3]. They can be empty [], hold strings like ["apple", "banana"], or even mix types [42, "hello", True].

Lists are useful for data that may grow, change, or be processed with loops.

Accessing Items

List elements are accessed by index, starting at 0. For example, fruits[0] is "apple", and fruits[1] is "banana".

Negative indexes count from the end: fruits[-1] is "cherry", and fruits[-2] is "banana".

Modifying Lists

Lists are flexible because you can change them after creation.

• Update by index: cart[0] = "mango";
• Add with .append(): cart.append("orange");
• Remove last item with .pop(), or a specific one with .remove("apple").

This makes lists useful for dynamic data.

Summary

• Lists are used to store multiple values — all in one variable;
• You can access each item by its index — and also update, add, or remove items;
• Lists are great for dynamic data — like queues, collections, and search results;
• They are flexible, readable, and essential for many real-world tasks in Python.