The Plant Clinic

Building a small knowledge base means choosing a vocabulary of atoms and writing the rules that connect them.

A helpdesk that diagnoses ailing houseplants. The vocabulary: yellow_leaves, brown_tips, soil_soggy, pot_no_drain, near_radiator — the symptoms — and overwatered, dry_air, root_rot_risk, needs_repot — the conclusions. The rules, read aloud. Rule one: a plant is overwatered if its leaves yellow and its soil is soggy. Rule two: root rot threatens if the plant is overwatered and the pot cannot drain. Rule three: the air is too dry if leaf tips brown and the plant sits near a radiator. Rule four: a plant at risk of root rot needs repotting. Four rules, nine atoms, and the clinic's whole expertise is on the table — auditable line by line, arguable rule by rule, with nothing hidden in anyone's head.