massdriven

Massdriven is an adjective used to describe processes, models, or systems in which the evolution is determined chiefly by mass-related factors—mass distribution, inertia, and gravity—rather than external energy input or other forcing mechanisms. The term is not standard in most scientific literature but is used informally to contrast mass-centric dynamics with energy-driven dynamics.

In physics and astrophysics, gravitational collapse and accretion flows are often described as mass-driven because the gravitational pull arising from mass distribution largely dictates the motion of matter. In planetary formation, growth rates and trajectories depend on mass accretion and self-gravity; in star formation, whether a cloud collapses to form a star is largely governed by the total mass available. In geophysics, mantle convection and some tectonic processes can be described as mass-driven to the extent that density contrasts generate buoyancy forces that move material.

In modeling, massdriven approaches emphasize density fields, mass conservation, and gravity as primary actors, potentially de-emphasizing heat sources, radiative transfer, or other energy terms. This contrasts with energy-driven or thermo-driven models that treat temperature gradients and heat flux as the main drivers of dynamics.

Limitations and scope: real systems typically involve both mass and energy effects, and isolating mass as the primary driver is an approximation or heuristic. Because massdriven is not a formal, universally adopted category, its meaning can vary by field and context.

See also: gravity, mass, density, inertia, gravitational collapse, accretion.