Hydroponic Systems Side-by-Side Comparison¶
Specification¶
The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 6: Passive and Basic Active Systems.
Type: diagram
**sim-id:** hydroponic-systems-comparison<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified
Purpose: Let students visually compare all six hydroponic system architectures side by side, click each to see how it works, and explore trade-offs on key dimensions (oxygen, cost, complexity, pump risk, crop suitability).
Bloom Level: Analyze (L4) and Evaluate (L5)
Bloom Verb: Compare and judge — students compare architectures and make a justified system selection for a given scenario
Layout: Gallery view showing six small system diagram thumbnails arranged in a 2×3 or 3×2 grid; each thumbnail shows the key structural elements of that system type in a simple cross-sectional illustration
Thumbnails (each is a simplified cross-section, click to expand):
1. Kratky: Mason jar + net pot + root growing into solution + air gap labeled
2. DWC: Bucket + net pot + roots in solution + air stone + air pump
3. NFT: Channel at slight angle + thin film on channel floor + roots sitting in film + pump + reservoir
4. Ebb-and-Flow: Flood table above reservoir + pump + timer + plants in growing medium + overflow drain
5. Aeroponics: Roots hanging in air chamber + misting nozzles spraying roots + collection trough + high-pressure pump
6. Fogponics: Ultrasonic fogger in reservoir + fog rising around roots + enclosed chamber
Expanded detail panel (appears when thumbnail is clicked, takes 60% of canvas):
- System diagram with labeled components
- Animated flow showing solution/air movement (solution flow arrow, oxygen delivery visualization)
- Ratings display:
- Oxygen Delivery: 1–5 stars
- Pump Failure Risk: 1–5 (1=none, 5=immediate death)
- Setup Complexity: 1–5
- Cost to Build: $ to $$$$$
- Best Crops: list of suitable crops
- One-sentence "key insight" about this system
Animation: Each system shows its characteristic movement — DWC shows bubbles rising, NFT shows film flowing, Aeroponics shows mist spray pulses
Return button: "Back to gallery"
Responsive: Grid wraps to single column on narrow screens; detail panel stacks below thumbnails