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The three-color theory, also known as the trichromatic theory of color vision, explains how humans perceive color. It proposes that the human eye contains three types of cone cells, each sensitive to different wavelengths of light. These cones are often referred to as red, green, and blue cones, though their peak sensitivities are more accurately described as reddish, greenish, and bluish.

When light enters the eye, it stimulates these cone cells to varying degrees. The brain then interprets the combination of signals from these three types of cones to create the perception of a specific color. For example, if only the red cones are strongly stimulated, we perceive red. If both red and green cones are stimulated equally, we perceive yellow.

This theory was independently developed by James Clerk Maxwell, Hermann von Helmholtz, and Ewald Hering in the mid-19th century. Maxwell's experiments with color mixing provided early evidence for the concept of three primary colors. Helmholtz further developed the theory by proposing the existence of specific receptor mechanisms in the eye. While Hering proposed a different opponent-process theory, the trichromatic theory remains the fundamental explanation for the initial stage of color detection. Variations in the sensitivity or number of these cone cells can lead to different forms of color vision deficiency, commonly known as color blindness.