The spectral sequence of an extraordinary cohomology theory

Abstract

Given an ‘extraordinary cohomology theory’, that is, a cohomology theory satisfying all the axioms of Eilenberg and Steenrod (7) except the dimension axiom, it is well known that there exists a spectral sequence relating the ordinary cohomology of a space with the extraordinary theory (see, for example, (3) in the case of K*(X)). Obviously, it would be useful to know the differentials in this spectral sequence, and it is the purpose of this paper to identify them in terms of cohomology operations defined by certain k-invariants. We shall make use of E. H. Brown's recent theorem (5) on the representability of extraordinary cohomology theories, to construct a second spectral sequence, in which the differentials are readily identifiable, which we shall prove is isomorphic to the usual one.