diff --git a/internal/engine/cascade.go b/internal/engine/cascade.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d752c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/cascade.go
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+package engine
+
+import "math/rand/v2"
+
+// EdgeThresholds holds one random draw in [0, 1) per directed edge. The
+// cascade forwards across u -> v when the draw is below the forwarding
+// probability. Drawing all thresholds once and reusing them recreates the
+// prototype's "same world, different lever" comparison: scenarios that
+// share thresholds differ only in who is educated.
+type EdgeThresholds map[[2]int]float64
+
+// NewEdgeThresholds draws a threshold for every directed edge. Both
+// directions get independent draws (u forwarding to v is a different event
+// than v forwarding to u). Node order makes the draws deterministic.
+func NewEdgeThresholds(graph *Graph, rng *rand.Rand) EdgeThresholds {
+	thresholds := make(EdgeThresholds, 2*graph.NumEdges())
+	for node := range graph.NumNodes() {
+		for _, neighbor := range graph.Neighbors(node) {
+			if node < neighbor { // visit each undirected edge exactly once
+				thresholds[[2]int{node, neighbor}] = rng.Float64()
+				thresholds[[2]int{neighbor, node}] = rng.Float64()
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return thresholds
+}
+
+// NeverReached marks a node the fake never got to.
+const NeverReached = -1
+
+// CascadeResult describes one finished spread.
+type CascadeResult struct {
+	// ReachedAtRound[node] is the round in which node first received the
+	// fake (round 0 is the origin posting it), or NeverReached. This is
+	// exactly what an animation needs: the activation time per node.
+	ReachedAtRound []int
+	NumReached     int
+	NumRounds      int
+}
+
+// RunCascade spreads the fake from origin: in every round, each newly
+// reached student forwards to each neighbour whose edge threshold falls
+// below forwardProb. Educated students receive the fake but never forward
+// it; that is the entire effect of the education lever.
+func RunCascade(graph *Graph, origin int, forwardProb float64, educated []int, thresholds EdgeThresholds) CascadeResult {
+	isEducated := make([]bool, graph.NumNodes())
+	for _, student := range educated {
+		isEducated[student] = true
+	}
+
+	reachedAtRound := make([]int, graph.NumNodes())
+	for node := range reachedAtRound {
+		reachedAtRound[node] = NeverReached
+	}
+	reachedAtRound[origin] = 0
+
+	numReached := 1
+	lastRound := 0
+	frontier := []int{origin}
+	for round := 1; len(frontier) > 0; round++ {
+		var nextFrontier []int
+		for _, forwarder := range frontier {
+			if isEducated[forwarder] {
+				continue // received the fake, refuses to pass it on
+			}
+			for _, receiver := range graph.Neighbors(forwarder) {
+				alreadyReached := reachedAtRound[receiver] != NeverReached
+				forwards := thresholds[[2]int{forwarder, receiver}] < forwardProb
+				if !alreadyReached && forwards {
+					reachedAtRound[receiver] = round
+					numReached++
+					lastRound = round
+					nextFrontier = append(nextFrontier, receiver)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		frontier = nextFrontier
+	}
+
+	return CascadeResult{
+		ReachedAtRound: reachedAtRound,
+		NumReached:     numReached,
+		NumRounds:      lastRound + 1,
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/engine/cascade_test.go b/internal/engine/cascade_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7cf017
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/cascade_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"slices"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// The cascade is deterministic once thresholds are fixed, so these tests
+// hand-craft a tiny line graph (0-1-2-3) and exact thresholds: no
+// randomness, every expectation is exact.
+
+func lineGraph(numNodes int) *Graph {
+	graph := NewGraph(numNodes)
+	for node := 0; node < numNodes-1; node++ {
+		graph.AddEdge(node, node+1)
+	}
+	return graph
+}
+
+// uniformThresholds gives every directed edge the same threshold.
+func uniformThresholds(graph *Graph, value float64) EdgeThresholds {
+	thresholds := make(EdgeThresholds)
+	for node := range graph.NumNodes() {
+		for _, neighbor := range graph.Neighbors(node) {
+			thresholds[[2]int{node, neighbor}] = value
+		}
+	}
+	return thresholds
+}
+
+func TestRunCascadeSpreadsAlongOpenEdges(t *testing.T) {
+	graph := lineGraph(4)
+	thresholds := uniformThresholds(graph, 0.1) // 0.1 < 0.5: every edge forwards
+
+	result := RunCascade(graph, 0, 0.5, nil, thresholds)
+
+	wantRounds := []int{0, 1, 2, 3} // one hop further each round
+	if !slices.Equal(result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds) {
+		t.Errorf("ReachedAtRound = %v, want %v", result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds)
+	}
+	if result.NumReached != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("NumReached = %d, want 4", result.NumReached)
+	}
+	if result.NumRounds != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("NumRounds = %d, want 4", result.NumRounds)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunCascadeThresholdBlocksOneDirection(t *testing.T) {
+	graph := lineGraph(4)
+	thresholds := uniformThresholds(graph, 0.1)
+	// Close the 1 -> 2 direction only. The open 2 -> 1 direction must not
+	// matter: student 2 never gets the fake, so never forwards anything.
+	thresholds[[2]int{1, 2}] = 0.9
+
+	result := RunCascade(graph, 0, 0.5, nil, thresholds)
+
+	wantRounds := []int{0, 1, NeverReached, NeverReached}
+	if !slices.Equal(result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds) {
+		t.Errorf("ReachedAtRound = %v, want %v", result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds)
+	}
+	if result.NumReached != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("NumReached = %d, want 2", result.NumReached)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunCascadeEducatedReceivesButDoesNotForward(t *testing.T) {
+	graph := lineGraph(4)
+	thresholds := uniformThresholds(graph, 0.1)
+
+	result := RunCascade(graph, 0, 0.5, []int{1}, thresholds)
+
+	// Student 1 is educated: still receives the fake in round 1, but the
+	// chain stops there.
+	wantRounds := []int{0, 1, NeverReached, NeverReached}
+	if !slices.Equal(result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds) {
+		t.Errorf("ReachedAtRound = %v, want %v", result.ReachedAtRound, wantRounds)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNewEdgeThresholdsDeterministicAndComplete(t *testing.T) {
+	graph, err := HolmeKim(30, 3, 0.45, newRand(17))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	first := NewEdgeThresholds(graph, newRand(2))
+	second := NewEdgeThresholds(graph, newRand(2))
+
+	if wantSize := 2 * graph.NumEdges(); len(first) != wantSize {
+		t.Errorf("len(thresholds) = %d, want %d (two directions per edge)", len(first), wantSize)
+	}
+	for directedEdge, firstDraw := range first {
+		if firstDraw < 0 || firstDraw >= 1 {
+			t.Errorf("threshold %v = %v, want in [0, 1)", directedEdge, firstDraw)
+		}
+		if secondDraw := second[directedEdge]; firstDraw != secondDraw {
+			t.Errorf("threshold %v differs across identical seeds: %v != %v",
+				directedEdge, firstDraw, secondDraw)
+		}
+	}
+}