What's the name of this algebraic property? [Complementary Subgroup Test]

I'm looking for a name of a property of which I have a few examples:

$(1) \quad\color{green}{\text{even number}}+\color{red}{\text{odd number}}=\color{red}{\text{odd number}}$

$(2) \quad \color{green}{\text{rational number}}+\color{red}{\text{irrational number}}=\color{red}{\text{irrational number}}$

$(3) \quad\color{green}{\text{algebraic number}}+\color{red}{\text{transcendental number}}=\color{red}{\text{transcendental number}}$

$(4) \quad\color{green}{\text{real number}}+\color{red}{\text{non-real number}}=\color{red}{\text{non-real number}}$

If I were to generalise, this, I'd say that if we partition a set $X$ into two subsets $S$ and $S^c=X\setminus S$, then the sum of a member of $S$ and a member of $S^c$ is always in either $S^c$ or $S$.

My question is:

"Is there a name for this property (in these four cases) and is this property true in general?"

Also, does anyone have any more examples of this property?


I think this comes from the fact that if you have a group $G$ and $H$ a subgroup of $G$ then if $h\in H$ and $x\not\in H$ we get $xh\not\in H$.

The proof is by contradiction, suppose $xh=l$ with $l\in H$. Then postmultiplying by $h^{-1}$ gives $x=lh^{-1}$ which is in $H$ since $H$ is a subgroup of $G$.


I call it the Complementary Subgroup Test, since the composition law arises via the following complementary view of the Subgroup Test ($\rm\color{#c00}{ST} $), $ $ cf. below from one of my old sci.math posts.

Theorem $ $ Let $\rm\,G\,$ be a nonempty subset of an abelian group $\rm\,H,\,$ with complement set $\rm\,\bar G = H\backslash G.\,$ Then $\rm\,G\,$ is a subgroup of $\rm\,H\iff G + \bar G\, =\, \bar G. $

Proof $\ $ $\rm\,G\,$ is a subgroup of $\rm\,H\!\!\overset{\ \large \color{#c00}{\rm ST}}\iff\! G\,$ is closed under subtraction, so, complementing

$\begin{eqnarray} & &\ \ \rm G\text{ is a subgroup of }\, H\ fails\\[.2em] &\iff&\ \rm\ G\ -\ G\ \subseteq\, G\,\ \ fails\\ &\iff&\ \rm\ g_1\, -\ g_2 =\,\ \bar g\ \ \ for\ some\ \ g_i\in G,\ \ \bar g\in \bar G\\ &\iff&\ \rm\ g_2\, +\ \bar g\ \ =\,\ g_1\ for\ some\ \ g_I\in G,\ \ \bar g\in \bar G\\[.2em] &\iff&\ \rm\ G\ +\ \bar G\ \subseteq\ \bar G\ \ fails\qquad\ {\bf QED} \end{eqnarray}$

Instances of this law are ubiquitous in concrete number systems, e.g. below. For many further examples see some of my prior posts here (and also on sci.math).

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