<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1870-3542</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Revista mexicana de física E]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Rev. mex. fís. E]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1870-3542</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Sociedad Mexicana de Física]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1870-35422010000100017</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[The wavelength of a laser diode and the birefringence of mica: The IPhO40 experimental exam]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Cornejo-Rodríguez]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[A.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Díaz-Uribe]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[R.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A02"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Espejel-Morales]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[R.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A03"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Jiménez-Mier]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[J.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A04"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Korneev]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[N.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Ortiz]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[M.E.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A05"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Romero-Rochin]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[V.]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A05"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="A01">
<institution><![CDATA[,Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica.  ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[ ]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A02">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional Autónoma México Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[México D.F.]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A03">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional Autónoma México Facultad de Ciencias ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[México D.F.]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A04">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional Autónoma México Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[México D.F.]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="A05">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional Autónoma México Instituto de Física ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[México D.F.]]></addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2010</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2010</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>56</volume>
<numero>1</numero>
<fpage>144</fpage>
<lpage>158</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1870-35422010000100017&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1870-35422010000100017&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1870-35422010000100017&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[The experiments proposed and the equipment built for the 2009 International Physics Olympiad are described in this article. A list of the items used with details of the constructed elements, as well as an exhaustive discussion of both experiments, including the questions and the step by step solutions, are given.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="es"><p><![CDATA[En este artículo se describen los experimentos propuestos y el equipo construido para la Olimpiada Internacional de Física 2009. Se da una lista de los aparatos usados y detalles de su construcción, así como una discusión exhaustiva de ambos experimentos, incluyendo las preguntas y las soluciones paso a paso.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Physics education]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[diffraction]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[polarization]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[birefringence]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Enseñanza de la física]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[difracción]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[polarización]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[birefrigencia]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
</front><body><![CDATA[ <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="4">Ense&ntilde;anza</font></p>     <p align="center"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="center"><font face="verdana" size="4"><b>The wavelength of a laser diode and the birefringence of mica. The IPhO40 experimental exam</b></font></p>     <p align="center"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="center"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>A. Cornejo&#150;Rodr&iacute;guez&ordf;, R. D&iacute;az&#150;Uribe<sup>b</sup>, R. Espejel&#150;Morales<sup>c</sup>, J. Jim&eacute;nez&#150;Mier<sup>d</sup>, N. Korneev&ordf;, M.E. Ortiz<sup>e</sup>, and V. Romero&#150;Rochin<sup>e</sup></b></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i>&ordf; Instituto Nacional de Astrof&iacute;sica, &Oacute;ptica y Electr&oacute;nica.</i></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i><sup>b</sup> Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnol&oacute;gico, Universidad Nacional Aut&oacute;noma M&eacute;xico, 04510 M&eacute;xico D.F.</i></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i><sup>c</sup> Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut&oacute;noma M&eacute;xico, 04510 M&eacute;xico D.F.</i></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i><sup>d</sup> Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Aut&oacute;noma M&eacute;xico, 04510 M&eacute;xico D.F.</i></font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i><sup>e</sup> Instituto de F&iacute;sica, Universidad Nacional Aut&oacute;noma M&eacute;xico, 04510 M&eacute;xico D.F.</i></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">Recibido el 18 de junio de 2010    <br>   Aceptado el 22 de junio de 2010</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Abstract</b></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">The experiments proposed and the equipment built for the 2009 International Physics Olympiad are described in this article. A list of the items used with details of the constructed elements, as well as an exhaustive discussion of both experiments, including the questions and the step by step solutions, are given.</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Keywords:</b> Physics education; diffraction; polarization; birefringence.</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Resumen</b></font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">En este art&iacute;culo se describen los experimentos propuestos y el equipo construido para la Olimpiada International de F&iacute;sica 2009. Se da una lista de los aparatos usados y detalles de su construcci&oacute;n, as&iacute; como una discusi&oacute;n exhaustiva de ambos experimentos, incluyendo las preguntas y las soluciones paso a paso.</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Descriptores:</b> Ense&ntilde;anza de la f&iacute;sica; difracci&oacute;n; polarizaci&oacute;n; birefrigencia.</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">PACS: 01.40.Fk; 42.25.Fx; 42.25.Ja; 42.25.Lc</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><a href="/pdf/rmfe/v56n1/v56n1a17.pdf" target="_blank">DESCARGAR ART&Iacute;CULO EN FORMATO PDF</a></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>Acknowledgments</b></font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">The authors wish to thank the enthusiastic collaboration of INAOE and IFUNAM personnel who help solving several problems and tasks during the design of the experiments, in particular we gratefully acknowledge their shops for the careful construction of most of the  equipment parts.</font></p>     <p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">&nbsp;</font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b>References</b></font></p>     <!-- ref --><p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">1. M. Born and E. Wolf, <i>Principles of Optics</i>, 7&#150;th ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1999) Chap. 11.</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=8452822&pid=S1870-3542201000010001700001&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --><!-- ref --><p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">2. P.R. Bevington, <i>Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Sciences </i>(McGraw&#150;Hill, 1969).</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=8452823&pid=S1870-3542201000010001700002&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --><!-- ref --><p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">3. I.R. Kenyon, <i>The Light Fantastic, A Modern Introduction to Classical and Quantum Optics </i>(Oxford University Press, 2009)</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=8452824&pid=S1870-3542201000010001700003&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --><!-- ref --><p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">4. L. Landau and L. Lifshitz, <i>Electrodynamics of Continous Media(sic) </i>(Pergamon Press, 1980).</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=8452825&pid=S1870-3542201000010001700004&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --><!-- ref --><p align="justify"><font face="verdana" size="2">5. T. Feder, <i>Physics Today </i>(September 2009) 62.</font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=8452826&pid=S1870-3542201000010001700005&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --> ]]></body><back>
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