Waveforms on Edit window= merely plain graphics?

[Camilo Toledo]

I received a session to mix with the majority of the tracks recorded at a low level -16db and do not go past the green. I used clip gain to lift the level to -10 or -6db and I am able to manage and process the sounds more cohesively.
Normally on the Edit window, I use medium size tracks, and in some of the tracks the wave form size was occupying the whole vertical space of track view. Which to me meant that I was already in the red. When I check the same track on the Mix window it was not even hitting unity gain -0 db.

My question is the following: Why Is the representation of the waveform inaccurate and not a truly metered audio representation of the db level we see on the meters in the mix window?
Even Audacity A FREE SOFTWARE has a vertical meter that accurately measures db in the displayed wave form that equally matches the meters levels in the mixing toolbars view. Wave forms have different colors which represent RMS and highest peaks and also a wave form db view and wave form clipping view….

Are the waveforms in Edit window in Pro Tools just plain graphics?