Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
The dimensions of the graded quotients of the cohomology of a plane curve complement $U\,=\,{{\mathbb{P}}^{2}}\,\backslash \,C$ with respect to the Hodge filtration are described in terms of simple geometrical invariants. The case of curves with ordinary singularities is discussed in detail. We also give a precise numerical estimate for the difference between the Hodge filtration and the pole order filtration on
${{H}^{2}}\left( U,\,\mathbb{C} \right)$.