Question #N432

The equation $(x - 3)^2 + (y + 2)^2 = 16$ represents a circle in the xy-plane. What are the coordinates of the center of this circle?
A. (-3, 2)
B. (3, -2)
C. (2, -3)
D. (-2, 3)

Correct Answer is: B

The standard form of the equation of a circle with center $(h, k)$ and radius $r$ is $(x - h)^2 + (y - k)^2 = r^2$. Comparing this to the given equation, we see that $h = 3$ and $k = -2$. Therefore, the center of the circle is $(3, -2)$.