Professor Calculus (Professeur Tournesol)

Professor Cuthbert Calculus (Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, literally Professor Tryphonius Sunflower or Tryphonius Litmus Paper) is a fictional character in the series The Adventures of Tintin. The Adventures of Tintin (Les Aventures de Tintin is a series of Comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi He is a distracted, hard-of-hearing professor, who invents many sophisticated devices used in the series, such as a one-person shark-shaped submarine, the Moon rocket and an ultrasound weapon. Sharks ( Superorder Selachimorpha) are a type of Fish with a full cartilaginous Skeleton and a highly streamlined body A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the Not to be confused with Supersonic. Ultrasound is cyclic Sound pressure with a Frequency greater than the upper

Calculus first appeared in Red Rackham's Treasure, and was the end result of Hergé's long quest to find the archetypal mad scientist or absent-minded professor. Red Rackham's Treasure ( French: Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) is the twelfth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series The absent-minded professor is a Stock character of popular fiction usually portrayed as an Academic with important information but whose focus on their learning Although Hergé had included characters with similar traits in earlier stories, Calculus developed into a much more complex figure as the series progressed.

Character

Although the exact origin of his title is never stated, Calculus demonstrates himself throughout the series to be an expert in many fields of science, making achievements in multiple areas, including nuclear physics, chemistry, mechanics and biology. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Nuclear physics is the field of Physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of Atomic nuclei. Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties Mechanics ( Greek) is the branch of Physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to Forces or displacements Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Many of his inventions precede or mirror similar technological developments in the real world (most notably the Moon rocket, but also his failed attempt at creating a colour television set). A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the The Television Technology can be divided along two lines those developments that depended upon both mechanical and electronic Principles and He seeks to benefit mankind through his inventions, developing a pill that cures alcoholism by making alcohol unpalatable to the patient, and refusing under great duress to yield his talents to producing weapons of mass destruction. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e Much of Calculus's more dangerous work is criticized by Captain Haddock, although Calculus usually interprets this the other way round: his deafness often leads him to misinterpret Haddock's words, preventing him from hearing his real opinion. Captain Archibald Haddock ( Capitaine Archibald Haddock) is a character in the Comic book series The Adventures of Tintin by Belgian

Calculus's deafness is a frequent source of humour in his interactions with other people, as he often repeats back what he thinks he has heard, usually in the most unlikely words possible. Additionally, he often diverts the subject of a conversation by responding to a misinterpreted remark. For example, "But I never knew you had. . . " leads Calculus to respond "No, young man, I am not mad!". He is not perturbed by his handicap, even if it is a source of deep frustration to his friends. He himself does not admit to being near-deaf and insists that he is "only a little hard of hearing in one ear. "

In the course of the Moon books, however, Calculus leads a team of scientists and engineers working on a major rocket project, motivating him to adopt a hearing aid, and for the duration of the adventure he has near-perfect hearing. A hearing aid is an electroacoustic body-worn apparatus which typically fits in or behind the wearer's Ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sounds This made him a more serious character, even displaying leadership qualities which had not been shown before or since. However, after completing the journey to the Moon, Calculus discarded his hearing aid, forcing his friends to readjust to his hearing impairment (aside from a scene in The Castafiore Emerald when Tintin insists he use it in order to clarify some misunderstanding during the TV broadcast); this restored the humour surrounding him, though it could be that he finds his deafness useful since it enables him to focus on his work.

Although generally a mild-mannered (if somewhat oblivious) figure, Calculus flies into an uncharacteristic rage if he ever hears the Captain (or anyone else) call him a "goat". The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe On one famous occasion in Destination Moon, he displays uncontrollable ire ("Goat, am I?") when an irritated Haddock accuses him of "acting the goat" by attempting to build a Moon rocket. Destination Moon ( Objectif Lune) is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated A rocket or rocket vehicle is a Missile, Aircraft or other Vehicle which obtains Thrust by the reaction of the His subsequent tirade and blatant disregard for security rules terrifies the usually ebullient Captain, and shows that despite his gentle nature, Calculus is rather sensitive about his work, and does not appreciate being ridiculed or belittled for his scientific efforts.

In spite of all this, his friends stick by him come what may. Haddock invited him to stay at Marlinspike Hall after Calculus had bought it in his name thanks to money he had earned through selling the patent for his shark-submarine which he had been able to test in the West Indies thanks to Haddock and Tintin who were searching for Red Rackham's Treasure. Marlinspike Hall ( Le château de Moulinsart in the original French - Belgian) is Captain Haddock 's Country house in The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Red Rackham's Treasure ( French: Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) is the twelfth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series Tintin and Haddock crossed the world on at least two occasions (Prisoners of the Sun and The Calculus Affair) in order to save him from kidnappers. Prisoners of the Sun is the fourteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Belgian writer and The Calculus Affair ( French: L'Affaire Tournesol) is the eighteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic

In contrast to his unquestionable scientific merits, Calculus is a fervent believer in dowsing, and carries a pendulum for that purpose. Dowsing, sometimes called doodlebugging, divining or water witching, is a practice whereby dowsers attempt to locate hidden Water wells A pendulum is a mass that is attached to a pivot from which it can swing freely He occasionally comments that he was a great sportsman in his youth, with a very athletic lifestyle. He is a former practitioner of the French martial art savate, although a demonstration in Flight 714 shows him to be a bit rusty. Savate (pronounced savat also known as boxe française, French boxing, French Kickboxing or French Footfighting Flight 714 to Sydney, published for a time under the title Flight 714, first published in 1968, is the twenty-second of The Adventures

Calculus and His Peers

Calculus first appeared in Red Rackham's Treasure and was the end result of Hergé's long quest to find the archetypal mad or absent-minded professor. Red Rackham's Treasure ( French: Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) is the twelfth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series The absent-minded professor is a Stock character of popular fiction usually portrayed as an Academic with important information but whose focus on their learning These had included highly-educated but eccentric scholars and scientists such as:

• Dr. Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as A scientist, in the broadest sense refers to any person that engages in a systematic activity to acquire Knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices Sarcophagus of Cigars of the Pharaoh who showed signs of being clumsy and forgetful before going completely mad. See also List of The Adventures of Tintin characters, for a complete list The supporting characters Hergé created for his series The Adventures Cigars of the Pharaoh ( Les Cigares du pharaon) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated

• The absent-minded professor who appeared in The Broken Ear and who forgot his glasses, wore his cleaning-lady's overcoat, held his cane upside-down as if it were an umbrella, mistook a parrot for a man and left his briefcase next to a lamp post. The Broken Ear ( French: L'Oreille cassée) is the sixth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip "Parasol" redirects here For other uses see Umbrella (disambiguation, Umbrella (song or Parasol (disambiguation A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard or lamp standard, is a raised source of Light on the edge of a Road (In the original edition published in 1935 his name is given as Professor Euclide, after the Greek mathematician known as the "Father of Geometry". Euclid ( Greek:.) fl 300 BC also known as Euclid of Alexandria, is often referred to as the Father of Geometry )

• Professor Hector Alembick in King Ottokar's Sceptre, who had a bad habit of throwing his cigarettes on the floor. King Ottokar's Sceptre ( French: Le Sceptre d'Ottokar) is the eighth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip

• Two astronomers from The Shooting Star also showed unusual and, in one case, mad behaviour: Philippulus the Prophet represented the dilemmas some face over religious belief and scientific research. The Shooting Star is the tenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others See also List of The Adventures of Tintin characters, for a complete list The supporting characters Hergé created for his series The Adventures In his case the conflict took a toll on his mind when the end-of-the-world appeared to be imminent. He then went around wearing bedsheets and beating a gong to warn of the event and later disrupted the eve of departure of the expedition sent to find a meteorite.

• His colleague, Professor Decimus Phostle, though not mad, looked forward to the end of the world whose prediction he thought would make him famous. See also List of The Adventures of Tintin characters, for a complete list The supporting characters Hergé created for his series The Adventures In contrast, he showed signs of maturity during the expedition when he called off the search for the meteorite in order to help a ship in distress.

Calculus's introduction appears to have supplied Hergé with the bizarre nature he wished to portray in a man of science. Other figures of high education were shown as more stable and level-headed. The members of the archaeological expedition who fall victim to The Seven Crystal Balls show no apparent signs of eccentricity. The Seven Crystal Balls ( Les Sept boules de cristal) is the thirteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums The most prominent member of this group is Calculus's friend Hercules Tarragon, with whom he attended university. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Tarragon is a large, ebullient man, possessing a jovial nature.

While he sometimes appears aloof when absorbed in his work, Calculus corresponds with other scientists and also collaborates with many of them on his projects. Notably, he works with Baxter and Frank Wolff on the Moon rocket and corresponds with ultrasonics expert Alfredo Topolino of Nyon in The Calculus Affair. Frank Wolff is a fictional character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic Comic books drawn and written by Hergé (1907-1983 Destination Moon ( Objectif Lune) is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated Ultrasonics is a trade term coined by the Ultrasonic Manufacturers Association and used by its successor the Ultrasonic Industry Association to refer to the use of high-intensity See also List of The Adventures of Tintin characters, for a complete list The supporting characters Hergé created for his series The Adventures Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. The Calculus Affair ( French: L'Affaire Tournesol) is the eighteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic

Calculus maintains a laboratory at Marlinspike Hall, in which he conducts various experiments. Marlinspike Hall ( Le château de Moulinsart in the original French - Belgian) is Captain Haddock 's Country house in He is fairly protective of his work, on occasion hiding his scientific endeavours from Tintin and Haddock (which gets him into trouble in The Calculus Affair). The Calculus Affair ( French: L'Affaire Tournesol) is the eighteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic His lab is also stripped of all its apparatus in the same book. On an earlier occasion, during his efforts to find an antidote to Formula Fourteen in Land of Black Gold, Calculus almost destroyed half of Marlinspike in an explosion. Land of Black Gold ( French: Tintin au pays de l'or noir) is the fifteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of

Relationship to Women

Calculus is the only regular character in the Tintin series to display signs of attraction to women. This is notably evident in his interactions with Bianca Castafiore, with whom he is smitten during her long stay at Marlinspike Hall in The Castafiore Emerald. Bianca Castafiore, the Milanese Nightingale, was a recurring character in The Adventures of Tintin: the Opera diva first appeared in Marlinspike Hall ( Le château de Moulinsart in the original French - Belgian) is Captain Haddock 's Country house in The Castafiore Emerald ( Les Bijoux de la Castafiore) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Belgian writer and During her stay, his botanic experiments lead him to create a new variety of rose, which he names in her honour. Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life A rose is a perennial flowering Shrub or vine of the Genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae, that contains over 100 species Nonetheless, he happily congratulates Captain Haddock on his "engagement" to Castafiore (in fact a media hoax which he unwittingly fuelled).

Calculus is also distressed by Castafiore's imprisonment in Tintin and the Picaros, and is adamant on going to her defence. Tintin and the Picaros ( Tintin et les Picaros) is one of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated In the same book, he is charmed by the unattractive Peggy Alcazar (wife of General Alcazar) and kisses her hand after she bluntly criticizes Tintin and Haddock (a remark which Calculus mistakes for a warm greeting). General Alcazar is a character in The Adventures of Tintin series of classic Comic books drawn and written by Hergé.

In other media

Calculus demonstrates the benefit of his Fruit d'or cooking oil to Nestor the butler

Calculus' original French name was "Tournesol" which is the French term for sunflower. Nestor is a character from The Adventures of Tintin series of classic Comic books drawn and written by Hergé. The sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) is an Annual plant in the family Asteraceae and native to the Americas, with a large flowering

In the 1970s and 80s, he starred in a series of cartoon television commercials for Fruit d'or products which included cooking oil and mayonnaise made from sunflower oil. Cooking oil is purified Fat of Plant or Animal origin which is liquid at room temperature Mayonnaise (sometime abbreviated to mayo in American English and other languages is a thick Condiment made primarily from Vegetable oil and Egg Some of the ads would conclude with him floating up into the air to demonstrate how they kept a good healthy balance. Other characters from the books were also included [1].

His name was used in naming an album by Stephen Duffy and the group Tin Tin, which was called "Dr. Calculus".

Auguste Piccard – The Real Calculus

In The Castafiore Emerald, Bianca Castafiore perhaps mistakes Calculus for Auguste Piccard (1884 – 1962) in claiming that Calculus is "famous for his balloon ascensions". The Castafiore Emerald ( Les Bijoux de la Castafiore) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums written and illustrated by Belgian writer and Auguste Antoine Piccard ( January 28, 1884 &ndash March 24, 1962) was a Swiss Physicist, Inventor and Explorer This connection was confirmed by Hergé in an interview with Numa Sadoul: "Calculus is a reduced scale Piccard, as the real chap was very tall. He had an interminable neck that sprouted from a collar that was much too large. . . I made Calculus a mini-Piccard, otherwise I would have had to enlarge the frames of the cartoon strip. " ^[1] The Swiss physics professor held a teaching appointment in Brussels where Hergé spotted his unmistakable figure in the street.

In other languages

• Arabic: Professor Bergel.
• Catalan: Silvestre Tornassol.
• Danish: Professor Tournesol.
• Dutch: Professor Zonnebloem.
• Finnish: Teophilus Tuhatkauno.
• German: Balduin Bienlein.
• Greek: Καθηγητής Τουρνεσόλ
• Icelandic: Prófessor Vilhjálmur Vandráður.
• Italian: Professor Girasole.
• Portuguese: Trifólio Girassol.
• Spanish: Silvestre Tornasol.
• Swedish: Karl Kalkyl.
• Turkish: Profesör Turnusol.

References

1. ^ Horeau , Yves The Adventures of Tintin at Sea 1999, English translation 2004 for the National Maritime Museum, Published by John Maurray , ISBN 0719561191 . Chapter on Outside characters drawn into the Adventures.