analog devices , inc . notes to consolidated financial statements 2014 ( continued ) depreciation expense for property , plant and equipment was $ 134.5 million , $ 130.1 million and $ 114.1 million in fiscal 2016 , 2015 and 2014 , respectively . the company reviews property , plant and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of assets may not be recoverable . recoverability of these assets is determined by comparison of their carrying amount to the future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate over their remaining economic lives . if such assets are considered to be impaired , the impairment to be recognized in earnings equals the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeds their fair value determined by either a quoted market price , if any , or a value determined by utilizing a discounted cash flow technique . if such assets are not impaired , but their useful lives have decreased , the remaining net book value is depreciated over the revised useful life . we have not recorded any material impairment charges related to our property , plant and equipment in fiscal 2016 , fiscal 2015 or fiscal 2014 . f . goodwill and intangible assets goodwill the company evaluates goodwill for impairment annually , as well as whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable . the company tests goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level ( operating segment or one level below an operating segment ) on an annual basis on the first day of the fourth quarter ( on or about august 1 ) or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist . for the company 2019s latest annual impairment assessment that occurred as of july 31 , 2016 , the company identified its reporting units to be its seven operating segments . the performance of the test involves a two-step process . the first step of the quantitative impairment test involves comparing the fair values of the applicable reporting units with their aggregate carrying values , including goodwill . the company determines the fair value of its reporting units using a weighting of the income and market approaches . under the income approach , the company uses a discounted cash flow methodology which requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to forecasted revenues , gross profit margins , operating income margins , working capital cash flow , perpetual growth rates , and long-term discount rates , among others . for the market approach , the company uses the guideline public company method . under this method the company utilizes information from comparable publicly traded companies with similar operating and investment characteristics as the reporting units , to create valuation multiples that are applied to the operating performance of the reporting unit being tested , in order to obtain their respective fair values . in order to assess the reasonableness of the calculated reporting unit fair values , the company reconciles the aggregate fair values of its reporting units determined , as described above , to its current market capitalization , allowing for a reasonable control premium . if the carrying amount of a reporting unit , calculated using the above approaches , exceeds the reporting unit 2019s fair value , the company performs the second step of the goodwill impairment test to determine the amount of impairment loss . the second step of the goodwill impairment test involves comparing the implied fair value of the affected reporting unit 2019s goodwill with the carrying value of that reporting unit . there was no impairment of goodwill in any of the fiscal years presented . the company 2019s next annual impairment assessment will be performed as of the first day of the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending october 28 , 2017 ( fiscal 2017 ) unless indicators arise that would require the company to reevaluate at an earlier date . the following table presents the changes in goodwill during fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015: .

2016: balance at beginning of year: 1636526
acquisition of hittite ( note 6 ) ( 1 ): 2014
goodwill adjustment related to other acquisitions ( 2 ): 44046
foreign currency translation adjustment: -1456
balance at end of year: 1679116
2015: balance at beginning of year: 1642438
acquisition of hittite ( note 6 ) ( 1 ): -1105
goodwill adjustment related to other acquisitions ( 2 ): 3663
foreign currency translation adjustment: -8470
balance at end of year: 1636526

( 1 ) amount in fiscal 2015 represents changes to goodwill as a result of finalizing the acquisition accounting related to the hittite acquisition . ( 2 ) represents goodwill related to other acquisitions that were not material to the company on either an individual or aggregate basis . intangible assets the company reviews finite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of assets may not be recoverable . recoverability of these assets is determined by comparison of their carrying value to the estimated future undiscounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate over their remaining .

Questions:
what was the balance of goodwill at the end of 2016?
and at the end of 2015?
what is the difference in balance between these two years?
and the percentage change?

Answers:
1679116
1636526
42590
2.6%