pre_text: 16. PRODUCT WARRANTIES We establish a product warranty liability at the time of revenue recognition. Product warranties generally have terms of 12 months and cover nonconformance with specifications and defects in material or workmanship. For sales to distributors, our warranty generally begins when the product is resold by the distributor. The liability is based on estimated costs to fulfill customer product warranty obligations and utilizes historical product failure rates. Should actual warranty obligations differ from estimates, revisions to the warranty liability may be required. Product warranty liability activity is as follows (in thousands):
table: Fiscal Years  
table: 2019 2018 2017
table: Balance — beginning of year $5,756 $3,672 $1,039
table: (Divested)/acquired — (49) 952
table: Provisions/(expense) (3,053) 1,865 1,737
table: Direct charges/(payments) 570 268 (56)
table: Balance — end of year $3,273 $5,756 $3,672
question: Analyse this data from a financial earnings document. What was the change in the Provisions/(expense) from 2017 to 2018?