How is the original sound wave typically represented?

The representation of an original sound wave is commonly visualized as a normal squiggly line, which illustrates the oscillations of the sound wave over time. This squiggly line reflects the changes in air pressure that occur as sound propagates. The peaks and troughs of the wave correspond to compressions and rarefactions in the medium through which the sound is traveling. This visualization captures the sine wave-like nature of many sound waves, which are periodic and can be described mathematically.

The squiggly line representation is particularly effective because it allows for an intuitive understanding of sound wave properties such as frequency, amplitude, and the shape of the waveform, all of which contribute to the perception of different sounds. In contrast, representing a sound wave as a flat line or as rectangular steps would not convey the dynamic changes occurring in sound, while a bold zigzag line might suggest a more abrupt and less continuous character of sound waves than is actually the case.