Everyone gets full marks on the first quiz if one student can toss a ball from the balcony of a crowded lecture theatre into a bin at the front of the room.

That is the challenge that Ohio State University professor Christopher Callam has given students in his organic chemistry class for over a decade.

Student Vinny Forte became a classroom hero when he accomplished the shot - and became the star of a viral video - on Friday (Sept 2, US time). The room erupted to cheers of his name after the ball flew straight into the bin from a distance of about 15m.

"We are using the ball to help understand acid base chemistry, to understand proton donors and proton acceptors," Prof Callam told sports website The Comeback.

"I just randomly throw the ball up to the balcony and whoever grabs it is the 'proton acceptor' or Lewis base and I make the horrible and classic joke that 'I just made an acid of myself'."

Prof Callam said that he has set this exercise for many years but it was only recently that students have had much success with the task.

"When the student made the shot last year, no one had a video of it because no one thought it would go in," he said. "This year I told them we had to live up to last year making the shot, so get your phones out."

One student, Ms Rachel Brown, tweeted Mr Forte's feat - albeit misidentifying him as "Benny" - and wrote: "S/o to Benny for making this shot and getting the entire lecture an automatic 100 on our first ochem quiz."

She added: "u the real mvp."

However, students will still have to apply themselves diligently to the rest of the class - the quiz counts for only 3 per cent of their grade.