This runs the classic SIR model — the same math Fauci used to explain COVID. Susceptible, Infected, Recovered. But for kindness.
R₀ = days × encounters × chance
R₀ is the reproduction number — how many new people each act of kindness reaches on average. When R₀ is above 1, it spreads. When it's below 1, it fades.
The beautiful inversion: in a pandemic, health officials fight to push R₀ below 1. In this app, the goal is to push it as high as possible.
Susceptible (S) — people open to being moved. Infected (I) — people actively spreading kindness. Recovered (R) — people carrying it forward at baseline.
A superspreader — a teacher, a Ragamuffin Hall, a community anchor — boosts R₀ for the whole network.
Based on the SIR model (CDC) · Adapted from the NCTM Pandemic Simulator.