The difference in physical properties that causes the movement of mass or heat from one place to another. In heat transfer, the driving force is the temperature difference or gradient between two points in which heat flows from a region of high temperature to a region of lower temperature. In mass transfer, the driving force is the difference in concentration of a substance or the partial pressure.
Geography
A propulsive force; for example, the three main driving forces for the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates are mantle convection, gravity, and the Earth’s rotation. The opposing forces are resisting forces.