What expression gives the length of the transverse axis of a hyperbola?

The length of the transverse axis of a hyperbola is given by the expression (2a), where (a) is the distance from the center of the hyperbola to each vertex. In standard form, the equation of a hyperbola can be represented as (\frac{(x-h)^2}{a^2} - \frac{(y-k)^2}{b^2} = 1) for a horizontally oriented hyperbola, or (\frac{(y-k)^2}{a^2} - \frac{(x-h)^2}{b^2} = 1) for a vertically oriented hyperbola. In both cases, (a) determines the length of the transverse axis.