What exactly are texture packs on Minecraft?

I love playing Minecraft. I like building mansions, cities, towns, and stuff like that. Though, I'm only playing the PS3 version, and what I hate sometimes is the limited amount of blocks and colors to choose from. Do texture packs provide more of a variety?

They make the look of minecraft different. They don't change game play at all, just how it looks.

The texture packs just change the way the blocks and stuff look. If you want more materials you can download mods