How does a binary search index differ from a hash index?

A binary search index is particularly well-suited for range queries due to its sorted structure, which allows for efficient searching through elements in a range. When using a binary search index, you can easily find the starting point of the range and then iterate through the sorted values until you reach the end of the desired range. This capability makes binary search particularly advantageous in scenarios where queries often request values between two endpoints, such as finding all records with ages between 20 and 30.

On the other hand, a hash index provides very fast access for exact lookups but does not maintain any particular order of the data. Thus, it lacks the ability to efficiently handle range queries, as the hash function directly jumps to a specific value without considering the relationships between values. Therefore, for queries that require assessing a range of values, the binary search index outperforms the hash index.

While the other options may have elements of truth in certain contexts, they do not capture the distinct advantages of binary search indexes with respect to range queries as clearly as the chosen answer does.