What distinguishes a binary search tree from other trees?

A binary search tree is distinguished from other types of trees primarily by its structure and the way it organizes its values. In a binary search tree, each node can have at most two children, referred to as the left child and the right child. This restriction on the number of children is pivotal because it allows the tree to maintain a sorted order of values.

The primary organization principle of a binary search tree is that for any given node, all values in the left subtree are less than the value of the node, while all values in the right subtree are greater. This property enables efficient searching, insertion, and deletion operations, typically performed in O(log n) time for balanced trees, which is a key advantage of this data structure compared to others that may not ensure a particular order.

Thus, the defining feature of a binary search tree lies in its binary structure and the systematic arrangement of values, leading to its efficiency in handling ordered data operations.