How Does a Tangential Impulse Affect Orbital Axes?

[QuantumDefect]

Hello again! Anyway here is the problem i need to do, I don't expect anyone to solve it for me, I just want a little kick in the right direction. Here it is:

A particle executes elliptical(but almost circular) motion about a force center. at some point in the orbit a tangential impulse is applied to the particle, changing the velocity from v to v+dv. SHow that the resulting relative change in the major and minor axes of the orbit is twice the relative change in the velocity and that the axes are increased. THanks again :)

 

[alfredblase]

me thinks you need only consider the energy of the system; ie find some orbital energy equations and such on the net, and relate them to velocity. You cetainly need a formula or formulas relating velocity to the length of the major and minor axis. :P