Signals can be classified as continuous-time or discrete-time. Continuous-time signals have a value for all points in time, while discrete-time signals have values only at specific sample points. Common elementary signals include unit step, unit impulse, sinusoidal, and exponential functions. Signals can be further classified based on properties like periodicity, even/odd symmetry, and energy/power. Operations like time shifting, scaling, and inversion can be performed on signals. Discrete-time signals are often obtained by sampling continuous-time signals.