Chern class in complex cobordism ($c_j^{MU}(E)\in M{U}^{2j}(X)$)

The complex orientation of complex cobordism defines Chern classes of actual complex bundles by the splitting principle and elementary symmetric expressions in the first Chern classes of line summands. For an actual rank-$n$ complex bundle, its top Chern class is its Euler class in a generalized cohomology theory. Chern classes extend stably by the Whitney formula; this stable extension must not be confused with the Euler class of a merely stably complex real bundle.

The relation uses $x=c_1(S)$ for the tautological line on the projectivization of $E$. It follows from the rank of the complementary bundle and Whitney multiplication. The alternating signs are ring subtraction; they do not assert that the First Chern class of a dual line is the additive negative in complex cobordism, where duality uses the formal-group inverse.

// Target: geometry-and-topology.bigb