What are the CIE XYZ tristimulus values?

The human eye has three types of cone cells that are stimulated by different wavelengths of light, leading to the perception of color. Colors can be quantified based on how much they stimulate the three cones. These are called the LMS tristimulus values. However, the wavelength ranges overlap, which complicates calculations. The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) developed a new set of values, called XYZ tristimulus values, that are equivalent to the LMS tristimulus values but do not overlap. In mathematical terms, the LMS values were transformed into XYZ values that are linearly independent from each other. Y represents the radiance/luminance, Z represents mostly blue wavelengths, and X represents the remaining wavelengths. In SpectraWiz, the XYZ coordinates are displayed in the status bar of the color application window.