Tidal science before and after Newton

This chapter discusses two contrasting periods of research in tidal science, before and after Newton. The first period was marked by speculative theories, a disregard of observational evidence by some protagonists, and a lack of mathematical rigor. The second period, benefitting from the insight provided by Newton's Principia, demonstrated greater attention to tidal observations and a greater application of mathematics. One particular development that followed from the second period was Bernoulli's demonstration that data and mathematics could be combined in the production of useful tide tables for semidiurnal regimes. It is suggested that, with the benefit of hindsight, tidal science has progressed during identifiable eras of research, with us experiencing at the present time a particularly interesting era of tidal measurement and modeling.