The Challenge

[blueintheface]

Any ideas on this? All suggestions welcome! No more information than this. Thanks in advance!

“1^2!2%1 *1”2 “2*1”3 £2*1$3*1£2£1£2 %3^1 %1”1(1)3

[fiction-factory]

Is that exctly as it is set out? All in one line?
Maybe some of the the symbols !, ^, * £, $ are the caps lock versions of 1, 6, 8, 3, 4

[blueintheface]

Thanks. Indeed, I've been following that symbol line, as the symbols in the question are all in one line and are as shown.

[JJ109]

I don't know what is intended but in maths terms absolutely everything after the first "^" is irrelevant
1 to any power still equals 1
Therefore 1^(2!2%1 *1”2 “2*1”3 £2*1$3*1£2£1£2 %3^1 %1”1(1)3) = 1

[waterboatman]

I didn't know that.
Learn something new every day and the day is not wasted.

[blueintheface]

jj109 - any thanks for that. I'd been looking only at one track - keyboard symbols. Very helpful idea.

[Calibax]

Symbols on typewriter and the letters beneath them.

1, 2, and 3 indicate
which row they refer to (1 =qwert.. 2=asd... 3=zxc).
e.g.
"1 = second column first row = W
^2 = sixth column second row = H
!2 = first column second row = A
%1 = fifth column first row = T

Spells out question What is...? (I'll let you finish it!)

[blueintheface]

Calibax - that's very helpful. I'd just started to look at that approach as well and your guidance has confirmed what I'd started. Thanks for the advice.