1) For n >= 0 an integer, the sum of integers from 0 to n is n*(n+1)/2. This is classic : write this sum first like this :
S = 0 + 1 + ... + n
and then like this :
S = n + (n-1) + ... + 0
You see that 2*S is equal to (0+n) + (1 + n-1)) + ... + (n+0) = (n+1)n, so that S = n(n+1)/2 indeed. (Well known but is prefered my answer to be self contained).
2) From 1, if we note cons(m,n) the sum m+(m+1)+...(n-1)+n the consecutive sum of integers between posiive (that is >=0) such that 1<=m<=n we see that :
cons(m,n) = (0+1+...+n) - (0+1+...+(m-1)) which gives from 1 :
cons(m,n) = n*(n+1)/ - m(m-1)/2
3) The question is then recasted into the following : in how many ways can we write N in the form N = cons(m,n) with m,n integers such that 1<=m<=n ? If we have N = cons(m,n), this is equivalent to m^2 - m + (2N -n^2 -n) = 0, that is, the real polynomial T^2 - m + (2N -n^2 -n) has a real root, m : its discriminant delta must then be a square. But we have :
delta = 1 - 3*(2*N - n^2 - n)
And this delta is an integer which must be a square. There exists therefore an integer M such that :
delta = 1 - 3*(2*N - n^2 - n) = M^2
that is
M^2 = 1 - 6*N + n(n+1)
n(n+1) is always dividible by 2 (it's for instance 2 times our S from the beginning, but here is a more trivial reason, among to consecutive integers, one must be even) and therefore M^2 is odd, implying that M must be odd.
4) Rewrite or previous equation as :
n^2 + n + (1-6*N - M^2) = 0
This show that the real polynomial X^2 + X + (1-6*N - M^2) has a real zero, n : its discriminant gamma must therefore be a square, but :
gamma = 1 - 4*(1-6*N-M^2)
and this must be a square, so that here again, there exist an integer G such that
G^2 = 1 - 4*(1-6*N-M^2)
G^2 = 1 + 4*(2*N + m*(m-1))
which shows that, as M is odd, G is odd also.
5) Substracting M^2 = 1 - 4*(2*N - n*(n+1)) to G^2 = 1 + 4*(2*N + m*(m-1))) yields to :
G^2 - M^2 = 4*(2*N + m*(m-1)) + 4*(2*N -n*(n+1))
= 16*N + 4*( m*(m-1) - n*(n+1) )
= 16*N - 8*N (because N = cons(m,n))
= 8*N
And finally this can be rewritten as :
(G-M)*(G+M) = 8*N, that is
[(G-M)/2]*[(G+M)/2] = 2*N
where (G-M)/2 and (G+M)/2 are integers (G-M and G+M are even since G and M are odd)
6) Thus, at each manner to write N as cons(m,n), we can associate a way (and only one way, as M and G are uniquely determined) to factor 2*N into the product x*y, with x = (G-M)/2 and y = (G+M)/2 where G and M are two odd integers. Since G = x + y and M = -x + y, as G and M are odd, we see that x and y should have opposite parities. Thus among x and y, one is even and the other is odd. Thus 2*N = x*y where among x and y, one is even and the other is odd. Lets c be the odd one among x and y, and d be the even one. Then 2*N = c*d, thus N = c*(d/2). So c is and odd number dividing N, and is uniquely determined by N, as soon as N = cons(m,n). Reciprocally, as soon as N has an odd divisor, one can reverse engineer all this stuff to find n and m.
7) *Conclusion : there exist a one to one correspondance between the number of ways of writing N = cons(m,n) (which is the number of ways of writing N as sum of consecutive integers, as we have seen) and the number of odd divisors of N.*
8) Finally, the number we are looking for is the number of odd divisors of n. I guess that solving this one by DP or whatever is easier than solving the previous one.