F ∝ ∇ ρ
There are several (constitutive) equations which describe the transport of matter, or properties of it, in an almost identical way. In every case, in words they read: Flux (density) is proportional to a gradient, where the constant of proportionality is a characteristic of the material. In general, the constant must be replaced by a 2nd rank tensor, to account for directional dependencies of the material.
transport equation
equation that describes the transport of some (extensive) quantity such as mass, energy|heat, momentum, electric charge