general formula for partial sum of series im having trouble figuring out how to find the general formula for partial sums of a series.
Is it a trial and error kind of thing where I just have to figure it out?
or is there a systematic way to figure it out?

in that example from pauls calculus, I dont see how he got that general formula for the partial sums. 
Thanks for the help.
 A: It’s the formula for the sum of a finite geometric series:
$$\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}x^k=\frac{1-x^n}{1-x}\;,$$
here with $x=\frac13$. Specifically,
$$\sum_{k=1}^n\frac1{3^{k-1}}=\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}\frac1{3^k}=\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}\left(\frac13\right)^k=\frac{1-(1/3)^n}{1-1/3}=\frac32\left(1-\left(\frac13\right)^n\right)=\frac32\left(1-\frac1{3^n}\right)\;.$$
A: Actually there is a general formula that ends with a twist in your case.
These are all formal/symbol flipping results and may blow up if not used carefully.
The following is a standard result that I repeat because I haven't seen a really elementary proof around.
Theorem 1. Let $f(t)$
  be a formal Ordinary Generating function. Then formally the partial sums of the series are generated by $\frac{f(t)}{1-t}$
Proof. We have a OGF function indexed by $t^{i}$
  :
$f(t)={\displaystyle \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}a_{i}\cdot t^{i}}$
Write the partial summation formula in t
  as.
$ F(t)={\displaystyle \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}{\displaystyle t^{i}\cdot\left(\sum_{j=0}^{i}a_{j}\right)}}$
and generate f(t)
  by subtracting adjacent $t^{i}$ terms .
$\left(1-t\right)\cdot F(t)=\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}{\displaystyle t^{i}\cdot\left(\sum_{j=0}^{i}a_{j}\right)}-\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}{\displaystyle t^{i}\cdot\left(\sum_{j=0}^{i-1}a_{j}\right)=\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}a_{i}\cdot t^{i}=f(t)}$
Thus: $F(t)=\left(\frac{1}{1-t}\right)\cdot f\left(t\right)$
QED
Now in your case we add a parameter $\lambda=\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)$
 :
$f(t,\lambda)=\frac{1}{1-\lambda\cdot t}$
$F(t,\lambda)=\frac{1}{1-t}\cdot\frac{1}{1-\lambda\cdot t}$
Which doesn't look like the normal form $\frac{1-\lambda^{n}}{1-\lambda}$
  but double checking in Maxima 
b:(1/((1-t)(1-lt)));
powerseries(b,t,0);
$\sum_{i=0}^{\infty }\left( -\frac{{l}^{i+1}}{1-l}-\frac{1}{l-1}\right) \,{t}^{i}$
$\frac{1}{1-l}\cdot\sum_{i=0}^{\infty}\left(1-l^{i+1}\right)\cdot t^{i}$
As indeed it must be.
